Once Upon a Time
by Gemsibob
Summary: My hand eventually brushed against his, relief filling me as I realised I wasn't alone, I didn't even care that it was Malfoy. "What…"  "I have no idea Granger, but I suggest we get out of here, now." His voice wasn't its normal confident drawl either.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again my dears, this is a new story for you all to read, and (hopefully) enjoy. There will be some OOC behaviour and it also completely disregards the epilogue.**

**I've done things a little differently this time, as in, this story isn't complete yet, so updates will probably be further apart than on my other stories.**

**AN - Everything, besides the plot I've created here, belongs to JKR, and sadly...not me.**

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><p>"What are you doing?" I had my ear pressed against a broom cupboard door, trying desperately to hear something. Malfoy and I were out on our bi-weekly scheduled patrol as head boy and girl. "Granger?" He hissed in my ear, making a shiver run down my spine at the same time as I wondered how he'd gotten quite so close to me. "I said, what are…"<p>

I cut him off as I spun around, slamming my hand down over his mouth, his eyes widening with shock, and knowing him, disgust as well. "Sssh," I whispered, holding a finger up to my puckered lips. "I think there are a couple of students in here getting a little touchy, feely if you catch my drift."

Malfoy grabbed my wrist, removing my hand from his mouth. "Sex…is that what you mean Granger, they're fucking, and you wanted to listen in?" He was smirking at me, clearly trying to embarrass me with his brazen language.

"Yes, fine, they're having sex" I looked up, forcing my eyes to remain rooted to his mocking ones, praying that my usual traitorous blush wouldn't make an appearance and show just how embarrassed I really was, not just from his words, but from being this close to him as well.

He stared back at me; his eyebrows rose at my seemingly daring look and crossed arms. "Very well then, after you Granger."

"Fine." I huffed, grabbing the large bronze handle and yanking the heavy door open. I shuffled into the narrow entryway, Malfoy following close on my heel. Something seemed odd about the interior, like it was overly large, the dim light making it incredibly difficult to actually see anything.

The door clicked shut almost silently behind us. "Why did you shut the door?" I asked, casting a non-verbal Lumos spell.

"I didn't, it just shut behind me. So anyway, where are this amorous couple you spoke of?"

I was a little curious about that as well, I had been so sure that I'd heard moans and groans, but the cupboard on closer inspection was completely empty, there weren't even any shelves, it was just a bare empty room. "I…I don't know…" I was cut off by an intense bright white light flashing into the room, completely obscuring my vision.

Once my eyes readjusted slightly, I could see hundreds of spots of lights, flashing on and off around the walls in the tiny space. "Malfoy…?" My voice shook with uncertainty as I shuffled backwards carefully, trying to find him; hoping he hadn't deserted me. I had no idea what was going on. My hand eventually brushed against his, relief filling me as I realised I wasn't alone, I didn't even care that it was Malfoy. "What…"

"I have no idea Granger, but I suggest we get out of here, now." His voice wasn't its normal confident drawl either as he willingly took my hand, pulling us back to the door.

We made it two steps before the situation worsened. The lights began to swirl, spinning around the walls so fast it made me dizzy; it kind of reminded me of sci-fi films where a space ship is put into warp speed, and then they began to dance closer, edging forward until my eyes were forced to close from the intensity.

My heart was beating its way up into my mouth as the panic began to suffocate me. Malfoy's grip on my hand became firmer as he pulled me closer to his body, and just as my memory faded to nothing, it felt like we were being dragged forward, into the light.

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><p>I blinked a couple of times, my head seriously still felt like it was spinning. Forcing my sticky eyes to remain open, I was met with darkness, that absolute, all-encompassing kind of darkness, it was disorienting and I couldn't tell which way was up and which was down; that's when I felt movement beneath my head.<p>

"Malfoy, is that you, are you still here?" I was yet again blinded by a bright light, and I found myself fearful that I was about to experience those horrid sensations again. Thankfully, this time, my eyes adjusted quickly to the singular speck of light…from his wand.

"Yes, I'm still here. Now would you kindly get the hell off of me?" He shoved my shoulder with his spare hand, and I could now see that my head was resting against his thigh. This time, I couldn't help myself from blushing as I removed myself from his personal space as quickly as I could. I scrambled away in the darkness, my back quickly hitting a wall. Malfoy sat up, lifting his wand arm and casting more light around the room.

We both stood up, facing each other. "We're still in the broom cupboard." I whispered. "But I was so sure…"

"You felt it too didn't you, like we were moving forward?" I nodded my head; he looked exactly how I felt; unsettled, but relieved.

"At least we can get out of here now then." I mumbled. He turned, grasping the handle and pushed the door open. I couldn't see much past Malfoy's tall figure, but the shocked gasp that fell from his lips was not a good sign.

Silently, he stood aside, pushing me closer to the doorway with a hand on my back. "Where the fuck are we?" We stood side by side, looking outwards onto a densely packed forest; very little light was filtering down through the thick canopy, what light there was highlighting a narrow, muddy footpath that wound off through the trees into the distance.

"For…forbidden forest?" I stammered.

He shook his head. "It's the wrong sort of trees."

I inhaled deeply, trying to calm my nerves, the heady scent of pine and rotting leaves nearly knocking me out instead. "Come on, we can't really stay in here all day." He walked past me, out into the woods. When nothing happened to him immediately, I released a ragged breath. "Merlin Granger, it's time to come out of the fucking closet already." He chuckled quietly at his own joke.

"Shut it Malfoy." I glared at him as I stomped out of the door into the cool, damp air. The open doorway to the broom cupboard instantly vanished, leaving nothing behind as evidence that it'd ever existed.

I stood still, somewhat bewildered, racking my brain for any ideas to what had just occurred. "What do we do now then?" I mumbled, really only to myself as I thought of methodical and analytical survival plans.

"I guess we follow the path, it's got to lead us to something eventually." Malfoy started off down the path, wand held aloft as he trudged through the damp amber leaves. "You better hurry up though, because I'm not waiting around for you." Sighing, I too lit my wand, and traipsed off after the tall, blond haired boy.

Twenty minutes into out trek down the path, an idea popped into my head, it was so simple, that I couldn't help berate myself for a moment, for being so stupid. "Hey…" He turned around, continuing to walk backwards. "We haven't even tried Apparating out of here."

"Speak for yourself."

"What? You've already tried to Apparate, and didn't even think to tell me? What if it had worked?"

"But it didn't, so don't worry your bushy little head about it."

"You would have deserted me, even with you being head boy, and me being head girl?" I asked incredulously, he really was a git.

"It's not like we're best mates or anything Granger." He looked at me, sighing. "You would have thought of it eventually, you're a bright girl, or, what is it they call you…" He raised an eyebrow, knowing perfectly well the nickname I'd been given…the one he enjoyed endlessly teasing me about. "…the brightest witch of our age."

We'd come to a standstill now and were properly facing each other as he taunted me. "Well, _Ferret_, if you don't want a repeat of what happened in third year, I would suggest that you move that bony arse of yours."

"Bony?" He scoffed. "Hardly, I'll have you know that there are many who would _love_ to have the same view as you right now." Smirking, he spun back around and sauntered off down the pathway again.

Night was drawing in by the time we realised that we weren't going to find anything tonight, it was even darker now beneath the trees, and to be honest, my arm was killing me from holding my wand up for so long.

A chill was beginning to settle itself into my bones, causing my teeth to chatter as I struggled to keep warm. My legs were tired and I called for us to stop for the night, needing to sit down. Malfoy readily agreed, throwing himself down onto the ground next to me and we both leaned against a fallen branch. The trees around us had opened up into a wide grassy area, allowing us to see a bit of the sky for the first time since we'd been sent here. It was a clear night, and I could already see my breath as it curled from my mouth into the air around me.

"Are you cold?" Malfoy nudged me with his cloak covered elbow.

"N…n….no! Of co….course I'm blo…oody not."

He looked at me carefully from the corner of his eye. "I'll go and find some firewood." He mumbled quietly, obviously not wanting to seem too nice or helpful. After he had gone, I couldn't help but sit there and mentally slap myself for not bringing a cloak on patrols tonight, even the corridors of Hogwarts got bloody cold.

Ten minutes later, he returned with an ample pile of twigs and branches, proceeding to set it alight with a well-aimed Incendio. I revelled in the heat, unconsciously leaning closer to the fire…and Malfoy, who sat beside me. We sat there in silence, just listening to the crackling flames and night owls.

Staring into the woods, I began to think. This was such an unusual and bizarre situation; why the hell would a broom cupboard transport unsuspecting students to an unknown location, _and_ lure them in there in the first place. It was also rather typical that it had chosen me and Malfoy of all people. We don't hate each other any more, we share a common room, and I find him to be a rather amiable and civil person now a days, but that's not to say that we no longer argue, because believe me, we still do, just not to the point of firing hexes at each other.

Malfoy shifted next to me, out of the corner of my eye I saw him lie down, pulling his cloak around to cover his body. "Granger, I can hear you thinking away over there, so just lie the fuck down and go to sleep will you?"

"I can't…actually, I should probably go and cast some protective charms, we should have done it…" I went to stand up, but a hand held onto to my wrist.

"Don't worry; I've already done it, when I went to get firewood. Nothing is going to get within fifty feet without us knowing."

I was a little shocked at his thoroughness. "Oh…"

"Is that all I get, an 'oh'?"

"Sorry. Uhm, thanks, I guess, that was very good of you."

He huffed, smirking slightly at me. "I didn't do it just for you Granger…" I blushed again. "…but you're welcome."

I hesitantly lay down beside him, leaving enough of a gap so that we wouldn't be uncomfortable or embarrassed. The ground was, it seemed, even colder than the air. I cast a warming spell, but it didn't seem to do the trick, because moments later I was shivering again.

There was a breathy sigh from behind me and some mumbled words that sounded suspiciously like 'fucking women', before an arm snaked over my waist, settling on my stomach and pulled me back into a solid body. "What the bloody hell do you think you're playing at Malfoy?" I protested loudly, trying to fight my way out of his arms. He just held me tighter.

He threw his cloak over both of us as he yet again pulled me closer, into the warmth of his body, and refused to let go. "Shut up and go to sleep." He growled.

"But…why are you doing this?" I'd given up fighting his arms the moment I realised that my shivering had ceased

"Because I've had enough of your bloody teeth chattering, that's why. You know me; I need at least six hours of beauty sleep after all." I could actually hear that he was smirking as his breath ghosted across the top of my head.

I couldn't help but smile. "Of course you do Malfoy."

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><p><strong>So...what did you think. Let me know guys :-)<strong>

**Gemsibob**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well some of you certainly seemed to enjoy it, so ta very much for that :-)**

**AN - Distinct lack of ownership here people.**

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><p>Two<p>

It was daylight by the time I woke up, and surprisingly warm…in this little cocoon of bodies, limbs and cloak we had created. I had obviously turned over in my sleep, completely wrapping myself around Malfoy, whose legs had become entwined with my own.

My face was pressed into his collar bone, and the rhythmic up and down of his chest as he breathed was lulling me back to sleep, he was clearly not awake yet, so why shouldn't I close my eyes? Just as I was resolving with myself to go back to sleep, I heard words being muttered above me. "What the fuck? Granger, why is your bloody hair attacking me?" He pulled away a little, but not fully releasing himself from my hold as he spat out stray strands of my hair.

"Uhm, sorry." I smiled sheepishly, removing my hands from his back.

Eventually we managed to untangle ourselves and stood up facing one another. There was an awkward silence as we observed each other; what exactly do you say to a ridiculously handsome former enemy who you've just found yourself snuggled up with? Thankfully it was broken by Malfoy as he stretched out his lean body, yawning as he did so. His stretching also revealed to me a sliver of his pale abdomen, where I caught a glimpse of muscle definition disappearing into his trousers that would set any girl off drooling.

Even after sharing a common room with the boy for the last three months, a boy who refused to get changed in the bathroom after a shower, but who instead chose to parade around topless wearing nought but a towel - I couldn't get used to seeing such perfection, especially in someone so young.

I quickly averted my eyes as his gaze slid back to me, I wasn't quick enough though I realised when I saw his smirk. "Enjoying the view were you?"

"What? No, of course I wasn't." Even I could hear the lie within my words.

"Whatever you say…anyway, you wound me Granger." He slapped a hand theatrically to his stomach. "How could you not be enjoying this…?" He laughed, taunting me further by lifting the edge of his jumper, flashing me with a view of his toned stomach once again. I had to forcibly remind my mouth to remain shut…this boy was just so bloody infuriating. "Too easy."

Shaking the image from my head, I crouched down by the now glowing embers of last night's fire, casting an Aguamenti to fully douse it, as it was probably a good idea to not set fire to a forest that we were being forced to inhabit.

"Malfoy, will you be ready to go in a minute, we can…" I'd turned around, and found myself completely alone; had the prat finally got around to leaving me here? "Malfoy? Where are you?" I shouted…there was no response. Fantastic, I was all alone, no-one knew where I was, I hadn't seen any inkling that there was life here, _and_ Malfoy had the only cloak. "Malfoy?" I shouted again.

I stood up, straightening my legs, as I resigned myself to a long day of potentially pointless trekking and a chance to practice my (non-existent) shelter building skills, when the head boy emerged. "Was that you hollering a moment ago?"

"Who else would it be?" I asked, throwing my arms up to indicate that I was clearly the only one here.

"I dunno, some hot woman perhaps, who has seen fit to rescue me."

"A hot woman you've never met, who just happened to know your name?"

"I admit that it was a long shot, but a man has to have hopes and dreams…it's how we survive."

I shook my head at him, deciding to change the subject "Right, well we need to see if we can find some food to keep our energy up, or we're not going to get as far as we did yesterday. It's probably a good idea to come up with a better plan as well, for all we know, this path could actually be leading us further into the trees rather than to a village or town…" I was rambling, and I hate to admit it, especially after everything we all went through during the war, but I was ridiculously relieved that he hadn't left me on my own, I'm not sure how well I would have coped.

"That sounds like a plan Granger; I'm ready when you are." His hand squeezed my shoulder and I nearly shot up into the air, was Malfoy actually offering me some level of comfort? We looked at each other for a moment, his face changing from wary concern to expressionless before he nodded his head and tuned back to the path we'd spent all of yesterday following.

We walked along the dusty footpath in silence again, me following Malfoy who was always at least fifteen feet in front of me. I took a look around, pointing my lit wand into the shadowed areas surrounding us. There were a lot of deciduous trees here, whose leaves were in various shades of red and gold, but these were outnumbered by the pine and fern trees, their dark green foliage creating a dense, ominously dark atmosphere to the whole forest. It was an odd combination that unsettled me.

The head boy's voice broke my meandering thoughts at least an hour into our trek. "You thought I'd left you out here alone didn't you?" I didn't want to answer that, and reveal quite how nervous this forest made me. "Come on Granger, I saw the look of utter relief on your face when I came out of the trees."

"Well what did you expect; you did try Apparating yesterday without telling me. It would be just like you to leave me out here, almost completely defenceless; bar my wand, if it meant that you could save yourself."

"Is that what you truly think of me?" He almost sounded amused.

"I have no other way I can view you, last night when you shared your cloak was the first time I've ever seen a caring, non-selfish side of you, and even then it was only because you couldn't stand to hear my teeth chattering." He raised an eyebrow and nodded his head slowly, seemingly accepting my answer. "How _did_ you manage it anyway, to survive a whole night so close to me…to someone you hate?"

He turned to face me again, his face unreadable, but his eyes swirled with a simmering anger. "Because you're a girl…I like girls, and if I block out the incessant whining, the know-it-all-ism and the nest of hair, I can pretend that you're someone else, someone better. But what about you princess, you seemed pretty content snuggled up against someone you apparently detest so much." His last words were spat at me, but his face was once again expressionless when I looked up.

Those last words hit me hard, like a slap to the face; it actually stung. I know we weren't friends, but I hadn't seen such a level of anger from him, especially aimed solely at me in a very long time. He had basically just told me that _anyone_ was better than me, that he'd prefer any girl over me…not that I wanted him to want me.

Annoyance spread a red hot heat across my cheeks as I glared at him. He stared back, his neutral appearance not faltering once. I'm not sure what I had been expecting really, a hint of remorse on his aristocratic face perhaps? That was the last straw; I needed to get away from ferret boy, even if it was only for a few minutes.

Resisting the urge to slap him, I calmly stepped off the path and wound my way through the first few layers of trees. It was much more densely packed the further in I got, the only sound that could be heard was a low murmuring as a breeze picked its way through branches and leaves.

I inhaled sharply, attempting deep breaths to calm my simmering anger, reminding myself that it was only Malfoy, the git I'd been putting up with for the last seven years; I must have gotten too used to his recent less spiteful and hurtful demeanour.

The air filling my lungs wasn't doing the trick; in fact it was having the opposite effect. Instead of calming me down, it seemed too thick, like it was clogging my lungs when the realisation that I'd lost my bearings came crashing down on me. I had no clue as to which direction I had come from.

I instantly stopped moving, trying to work my way back; there were trees on every side of me, their branches seeming to reach menacingly towards me. I had to sever those closest to me with my wand.

"Granger…" The yell sounded a lot closer than I would have thought possible, and I was filled with equal parts relief, and fear. God knows what Malfoy would do to me when he caught me up. "Where the fucking hell are you woman?" I could hear branches and twigs snapping as he fought his way through the undergrowth.

He came crashing through a tree behind me, grabbing my arm as I spun round to face him. "For fucks sake Granger, you had a fit when I left you alone for two minutes and then you run off into the wilderness, have you got a death-wish or something?" He glared at me for several long seconds where neither of us spoke. "Women, you're all the bloody same, you over react to the smallest things." His mumbling broke me out of my shock at being grabbed so harshly.

"Get your hands off me Malfoy, if you weren't such an arse hole all the time, then I might actually give a damn what you thought, but right this second, I couldn't care less." Little did he know that I'd recently been finding myself caring _too_ much.

"Shut up for a second will you…"

"Why should I?"

His eyes, which had been roaming over the trees surrounding us slid minutely down to mine. "Because, if you had kept your mouth shut and your eyes focused, then you might have fucking realised that there was some actual daylight over there."

"What?" I hadn't seen anything.

He stooped down, his eyes level with mine. His breath fanned across my face; he was so close I could see flecks of blue swimming in his irises. I found myself staring, so regaining my senses I pressed my hands against his chest, trying to push him away. He remained rooted to the spot, merely rolling his eyes. "Look over there." He pointed over my shoulder, turning me around at the same time.

I yanked my arm free of his grasp and stumbled forward. I stared intently in the direction he had indicated, and though I loath to admit it, he was right. About seventy yards ahead of us, there was a distinct patch of brightness, sunlight illuminating the trees. Perhaps we had finally reached the edge of this forest.

Malfoy stopped beside me for a moment, before resuming the walk down my hastily created path, using his wand efficiently to clear a much neater and wider path to follow.

"Are you coming as well Granger, or are you just going to stand there all day?"

"I don't really have much of a choice do I?"

He turned, smirking at me again. "Nope."

A torn robe and scratched limbs later we reached the area bathed in sunlight. The sun itself was very low in the sky, indicating the last hour or so of another winter's day. The air here was clearer too and we both gave ourselves a moment to bask in our new surroundings.

Eventually I opened my eyes, looking in front of me. We weren't at the edge of the forest at all, in fact there was still an awful lot of trees, but they had opened up into another wide paddock like clearing, short, mossy grass and small boulders littered the ground, and in the centre…well let's just say it was something that neither of us was expecting, especially after two days of seeing no other signs of life; besides each other.

I was probably even more surprised than the boy next to me, having grown up with muggle stories and books, the scene in front of me, was like stepping directly into a fairy-tale.

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><p><strong>And that's that guys. Please let me know what you thought, t'is very much appreciated. :-D<strong>

**Gemsibob**


	3. Chapter 3

**It took me a few days longer than normal, but here's another chapter. I'm sort of just...winging it with this story,but hopefully it's not too bad eh?**

**AN - It all belongs to Ms Rowling...well, except the plot line.**

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><p>Three<p>

All anger instantly dissipated the moment we saw it. It was certainly different, but strangely familiar enough to make me wary. Malfoy stared at it, head cocked to the side in a completely dumbfounded way. "What is it?"

"It's quite clearly a house Malfoy."

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, I can see that, but what's it made of? That really doesn't look like brick or stone to me."

"If I'm correct in my assumptions, then it's made of gingerbread."

"The sweet, childhood treat? Don't be ridiculous, it's not likely to be a particularly stable building material. Come on, we should go and get a closer look."

My fingers gripped the sleeve of his jumper. "Something doesn't feel right."

"And everything up to this point has? I'll go in front if it'll make you feel better?" He sighed, trying to loosen my grip on his clothing. I nodded slowly as he moved forward, me following closely behind; both of us had our wands out, just in case.

The nearer we got to the house, the more detail we could see. The walls were clearly made of the slightly doughy biscuit, but there were candy-canes, thick icing, and so much visible sugar that it made my teeth hurt just from looking at it.

We were maybe about twenty feet away when Malfoy suddenly stopped in his tracks, and just as I was about to walk into him, I felt a shiver run all the way through my body as our surroundings took on a shimmery quality. When everything cleared, I realised what was wrong; my wand had just vanished.

"What the fuck?" Malfoy turned wild, grey eyes on me, flicking them briefly down to my hands and back up. "Yours is gone too then?" I could only nod dumbly as I looked around us, everything was too bright, as if all of the colours had become more vibrant and any dark areas became significantly more dark and sinister.

"I think we should go back…"

"For once Granger, I completely agree with you." We hurriedly retraced our steps, we'd hardly gone far after our wands disappeared; and instantly rebounded off an invisible barrier. Tentatively I reached an arm forward, my hand also found the barrier; it shimmered incandescently around my hand's point of contact, but would not give if I pressed any harder. This was seriously not good.

I tried to speak, but my throat was dry, refusing to let the words out. Swallowing thickly, I tried again. "It...it looks like we're stuck here."

Malfoy wasn't listening though; he'd craned his neck over his shoulder. When I looked as well, the front door of the house was open, and in the doorway stood an incredibly beautiful young lady. She was probably about our age, and was quite petite with long auburn ringlets, framing a sickeningly perfect, heart shaped face. Alarm bells began ringing in my head instantly; not just because of the horrible situation, but because I'd just realised who I was with; Draco 'master of seduction' Malfoy. I would surely be subjected to some sort of disgusting spectacle soon enough; he wasn't exactly one to refrain from wooing the ladies.

Snapping my head round, I turned to my companion, whose look of appreciation nearly made me want to throw up. "Well this just got a lot more interesting."

I was about to tell him to shut up, when the girl approached us. "Are you lost? Why don't you come inside, it's getting awfully cold and dark out here."

"Well that would be lovely, thank you M'am." He offered his arm, which the young lady hesitantly took, before starting off towards the house, leaving me to traipse behind them.

I had to think of a way out of here. If I was correct in my earlier assumptions, then it looked incredibly like we'd landed ourselves in some kind of twisted 'Hansel and Gretel' scenario. "Uhm, excuse me, but is your house really made of gingerbread?" The young lady turned her head in my direction.

"Why yes it is, you're welcome to try a piece and see for yourself." As ravenous as I was after two days of no food, I wasn't convinced I wanted to try it.

"Come on Granger, it's not like it'll kill you." I shot him a sharp glare; that was _exactly_ what it could do to me.

Begrudgingly, I took a bite. "Eughh." I immediately spat it back out, choking a little on the crumbs.

A look of panic flashed across Malfoy's pale face so quickly that I almost missed it. "What's wrong?"

"It's stale."

Malfoy burst out laughing, the girl following him, adding a series of high pitched squeals to his deeper tone. "I said that it was certainly made of gingerbread, but not that it was edible." She chastised with a giggle as we reached the door, which looked suspiciously like chocolate. "In you come now, don't worry, I won't bite."

Malfoy elbowed me in the ribs, looking down at me. "It's not like we have anywhere else to go." He whispered.

"But she could be a psychopath for all we know." I whispered back harshly.

He raised an eyebrow, seeming completely bemused. "Granger, she's like five foot tall and probably weighs about six stone (approx. 84lbs), I'm sure even you could take her."

"Fine, but if we die, it'll be your fault."

"But we'll be dead, so it's not like it'll matter whose fault it was." He laughed as he swept past me into the house.

We had stepped into a large open room, with a roaring fire and small kitchenette, and overall it seemed surprisingly cosy. "Thanks again for your hospitality Miss…"

"Oh, please call me Felicity."

"Felicity, of course. Well my name is Draco, and that's Granger." He nodded his head in my direction as he took the young girls hand, bending his head to kiss the back of it. I had to stop myself scoffing out loud, how bloody clichéd could you get?

As soon as his lips touched her skin however, things got considerably worse, as his body crumpled to the floor; he was clearly unconscious. "What the hell did you do to him?" I yelled, rushing forward towards his slumped form.

The girl turned in my direction again, not fully looking at me as her features began to morph and change before my unblinking eyes. Auburn ringlets melted into a mass of frizzy grey curls, her skin sagging and wrinkling until she stood in front of me as a haggard old lady with a milky white sheen obscuring her eyes.

She squinted in my direction, obviously not able to see much, if anything at all. "Boys, my dear, are too easily fooled by a pretty face; you should remember that." With a flick of her wrist, Malfoy's body hung limply in mid-air, his head falling forward to rest on his chest. The hag stretched out a withered hand, encircling his wrists in turn, and prodding his stomach, the whole time clucking disapprovingly. "No, no, no, this shall never do."

I was trying desperately to remember the bedtime stories I was read as a child; Hansel and Gretel got taken in by a seemingly nice old lady, however, she turned out to be a wicked witch, who imprisoned, but yet heartily fed young children…so that she could eat them. Shit.

I strode forward, determined to keep her away from him, like he'd said, even I could probably take her, and that was when she was a young girl, not a frail old lady. "Hey, leave him…ahh." With just a click of her bony fingers, she'd sent me arcing through the air, directly into the adjacent wall.

The impact was hard, my head cracking against the wall; not hard enough to knock me out, but hard enough to leave me severely dazed as a dull, throbbing pain beat against my skull and I slid to the ground. Through the haze, I could only watch as the hag moved Malfoy's body into a cage, his legs bound by thick rope.

"It's your turn girly." I hadn't made a sound since I'd been thrown across the room; if I remained quiet, I hoped that she might think I was unconscious as well. The old woman shuffled across the floor, leaning heavily on a cane. "I know you're still awake girl, I can hear your panicked breathing."

I shoved a hand over my mouth, trying to stop any other sounds from escaping. She looked intently at me for a moment, cocking her head left and right as she tried to determine if I was awake. "Very well, I shall see to you in the morning." She cackled menacingly, kicking me in the shin; hard. I bit down on my hand, trying desperately to quell the whimper that had risen in my throat.

A rope wound itself tightly around my ankle, pulling at the skin. There was a large, sturdy ring secured into the wall next to me, I had to repress a shudder as the realisation that we probably weren't her first victims entered my head.

Seemingly satisfied that we were both secured, the hag ambled out of the room, shutting a thick, heavy door between her and us. I looked around, all doors and windows were secured with thick bars, and Malfoy still lay unconscious in his cage. For once, I had no idea what to do.

I sat there, leaning against the wall for an indeterminable amount of time, staring blankly ahead as I thought; I couldn't even think of a moral that this could be 'teaching' us. My stomach growled loudly in the quiet room. I was absolutely starving now, that tiny bite of stale gingerbread had made my hunger pangs even more unbearable as my stomach had obviously reacted to it.

"Can you do something to stop that noise, it's getting on my bloody nerves."

I sat upright instantly. "Malfoy…" I couldn't help the hint of relief in my voice. "How long have you been awake?"

He was stretched out on his back, his head resting in his hands. "A while."

"And you didn't think to tell me?" Actually, I had been expecting an absolute onslaught of shouting and swearing the moment he realised he'd been imprisoned, but so far, he was taking it incredibly well.

He sat up as well now, raising an eyebrow. "Why, were you worried about me Granger?"

"Uhm…no, but I was bored. It would have been nice to have some conversation, even if you were my only option."

"You could have always tried waking me up…or failing that, trying to get me out of this fucking cage. How the hell did that happen by the way?"

"Long story short, she isn't a nice pretty lady, but is in fact an evil witch, who if my memory is correct, plans to eat us."

He blinked at me several times. "What do you mean 'if your memory is correct'?"

"I think we may have been transported into a…muggle fairy-tale."

"Fucking brilliant. This is your entire fault, you just had to open that broom cupboard door didn't you? And now, because of you, we're apparently about to be munched on by some crazy old hag." He ran a pair of frustrated hands down his face.

"You didn't have to follow me in Malfoy, besides, it's not like I want to be eaten either."

He sighed, obviously feeling as worn out and dejected as me. "Did you at least have any idea of how to get out of here?"

"I've tried, but my brain doesn't want to cooperate."

"You're obviously not trying hard enough then."

"Well I haven't eaten in two days; my brain can't be expected to function on full level with no energy. Besides, with the probable concussion I got when she threw me across the room, you should be grateful I can still form a coherent sentence." My stomach growled again, punctuating our silent glaring match.

He picked something up, throwing it through the bars of his cage at me. I instinctually shielded my face with my hands, but the object hit my thigh, coming to a complete stop as it rolled onto my skirt. I stared in bewilderment at it; it was a chicken leg. "Where the hell did you get this from?"

"I've got a whole plate of food in here."

"What?" I scrambled up onto my knees, shuffling closer to his cage. In doing so, I discovered that not only was my restraining rope in fact quite long, but that also, Malfoy did have a full plate of food…too much food. There was chicken, bread, rice, vegetables, the list was endless. "You were going to share that with me weren't you?" I asked incredulously.

"Why should I?"

"You know I haven't eaten in days; and if you want an escape plan out of me…" I intentionally trailed off, knowing his aversion to actually doing work. He was an intelligent lad, but he was complacent and lazy, preferring for others to do all the work for him. If he thought that he'd have to actually use his brain, then he'd cave pretty quickly.

"Fine, but only to stop you whining." He shoved the plate closer to the bars so I could reach.

"Thank you Malfoy." I smiled brightly at him, reaching forward for a piece of bread. He simply, rolled his eyes at me, as he too tucked into the food.

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><p><strong>Oooh...I kind of got this idea from an American TV show called 'Once upon a Time'...which is nothing like this story, but still a good show...<strong>

**Was it good, bad, awful, the most dreadful piece of shit you've ever read? Let me know :-) I honestly appreciate it.**

**Gemsibob**


	4. Chapter 4

**Just wanted to say a HUMONGOUS thank you to those of you who have read, reviewed and added to the various alerts and/or favourites.**

**AN - All characters etc apart from the magnificent (scoff) plot, belong to JKR.**

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><p>Four<p>

I woke up the next morning sprawled on my side with my head resting on my outstretched arm. There was an unfamiliar ache in my leg that it took me a moment to recognise; I was still securely tied to a wall; the rope pulling my leg at an awkward angle, and Malfoy was still in a cage; so unfortunately it hadn't all been just an irritating dream.

Together we had spent _hours_ of last night trying to come up with an escape plan, but we hadn't thought of anything that would actually work. We were both wandless, and thus, completely defenceless against the crazy old witch. Malfoy had mumbled something about being as useless as a muggle, to which I glared at him, threatening a nice slap to the face until he backed down, actually offering an apology and laughing at the absurdity of our situation.

I briefly explained to him what I could remember of the 'Hansel and Gretel' story, including the part where Gretel kills the old witch by pushing her into the cooking fire. "It would definitely work." Malfoy had stated with a shrug of his shoulders; I agreed, but was still unsure as to whether I could actually manage it…especially after all the death I had witnessed during the War. At this point, he'd actually reached one of his hands through the bars and held tightly onto mine. That's how we'd finally fallen asleep; with the pureblood Malfoy yet again comforting a muggleborn.

I sat up, stretching the lethargy of an uncomfortable sleep from my body and limbs. A quick glance out of the windows showed me that it was nearly morning, as the sky was a magnificent pale blue colour and I could hear the first few trills of the dawn chorus.

Malfoy stretched in his sleep beside me. He was annoyingly good looking, with his pale blond hair trailing acorss his forehead to cover his strikingly grey eyes; even in sleep he managed to somehow remain immaculate.

Against my better judgement, I had recently been finding myself attracted to him. Living with him in the head's dormitories had shown him to be very different to any of my earlier pre-conceptions. Yes, he was still ridiculously rude and obnoxious, but he was also surprisingly kind and friendly when he wanted to be; wanted being the operative word. Several times recently we'd spent an entire evening sitting opposite each other in our shared common room having a civil conversation, which to be honest; we both seemed rather reluctant to end by going to bed. We weren't necessarily friends, but he'd certainly grown on me.

"Granger, I know you're watching me…again."

How the hell did he always know? I blushed, thinking about my thoughts only seconds ago and hastily scrambled back to the opposite wall.

"Aww, don't be embarrassed _Hermione_, I know I'm a hard guy to resist." He winked, beginning to laugh as he too sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Please shut up _Draco_." I also emphasised his name, watching the momentary stiffening of his back. That was weird, him saying my name had had the same effect on me.

An overly loud creak broke the moment and alerted us to the witches return as she pulled open the thick door. Hobbling on her cane, she made her way slowly over to Malfoy's cage, and bent down; she was obviously trying to get a closer look at him through her misty eyes. He recoiled a little in disgust.

"Hold out your finger, boy." He caught my subtle head shake, obviously remembering the story I had told him, and instead picked up a chicken bone, offering it to the old woman through the bars. Her wrinkled fingers squeezed the bone. "Still too skinny, you haven't eaten enough."

She turned her withered face vaguely in my direction. "Get up girl; you must make some food for the poor lad."

"We have names you know, I won't answer to 'girl' anymore." I spat at the old hag, refusing to move. She ambled closer, stooping so low, balanced on her cane that I could feel her hot, fetid breath puff across my face. I too recoiled in disgust, just as Malfoy had done.

"Don't try me _little_ girl." I puffed out my chest, refusing to acknowledge the derogatory term. She reached out a liver spotted hand, and slapped me hard across the face. My head jerked to the side, and I could hear Malfoy fighting against his restraints.

Refusing to acknowledge the pain with sound, I hesitantly got to my feet, now towering over the stooped old woman. It was an odd position for me, at five foot five; I wasn't exactly used to being taller than _many_ people.

"Now, you will light the fire for the oven whilst I retrieve the vegetables from the garden."

A sneer spread across my face, I wasn't going to let her intimidate me. "Of course _M'am_." My voice was falsely saccharine, and Malfoy looked at me oddly from his cage. Everything was following the fairy-tale so well, that if it all went smoothly, then this whole scenario could soon be over and done with, allowing us to go back home.

I glanced at the oven and my eyes widened, this would be ridiculously easy. The oven, which had been partially concealed by a screen, now dominated nearly an entire wall. It was tall and deep with a massive hinged door on it; this was clearly used for cooking 'meat' on a spit. Peering into the oven, I could see that the only way to light the fire within was to climb halfway inside, and light it from there.

"Malfoy, I think our plan to follow the original storyline might actually work."

"Are you sure?" I nodded. "Then you better get a move on, or she'll back from the garden."

Grabbing the pieces of flint from the worktop, I gingerly climbed into the cavernous oven. There was already wood and charcoal in place. Striking the pieces of flint against each other, I created sparks, which eventually I managed to direct towards the tinder. Thankfully it quickly caught alight, and I bid a hasty retreat backwards out of the door.

"Is it lit yet girl?" The witch asked from the doorway.

"I'm afraid I wasn't sure how, would you be able to show me?" Her unseeing eyes slid in my direction.

"For goodness sake girl, are you a simpleton? It's easy if you use your brain." Scoffing, she began scrambling up into the oven, her large backside stuck in the air.

I hesitated for a moment; could I really do this; kill someone?" On one hand, this could all just be a trick of the mind and imagination and she might not be real, but on the other hand, from my experience of the magical world, even things you thought were fake could in fact be completely real.

"Get on with it then." Malfoy hissed at me from the corner.

"I'm not sure I can…"

"Of course you bloody can, if it's a matter of life and death, then you'll get on with it. I'm not going to die because you wussed out at the last second." He stage whispered.

Taking that as my cue from him, I stepped closer to the half protruding witch, she was at an appropriate height for pushing. "Come here and look you imbecilic girl, I won't show you again." Her muffled words came from within the oven. I strode forward, steeling myself with a grim determination, and planted my hands firmly on her plump arse. With a good, hard shove, the witch lost her precarious balance, sprawling out across the oven's floor. Before she had time to rear back and crawl out, I slammed the heavy door shut, securing it in place behind her.

My heart beat rapidly against my ribs as I fought to calm down, but my thoughts were interrupted by an ear splitting wail of a scream, before the sound abruptly stopped, replaced instead with a dull pop as a thick purple smoke, spiralled and shimmered iridescently up and out of the chimney.

I slid down the cool exterior of the oven door, the adrenalin that had been pumping through my veins almost instantly leaving me and leaving my legs feeling weak and wobbly. The old hag's demise released all bonds or spells secured with her magic and I watched relief pass briefly across Malfoy's face as the door to his cage swung open.

He walked towards me shaking his head. "If that's a muggle fairy-tale, then your lot are even more barbaric than I thought."

"Oh, as opposed to your childhood stories; such as 'The Warlock's Hairy Heart'? There was a lot of death in that one too if I remember correctly." I looked at him, a little triumphant.

"Ah, touché Granger." A smile formed on his lips as he slid down beside me, casually slinging an arm around my shoulders. "If people ask, I didn't let you do all the work."

"All of the work? What, like saving your bony backside?" I smiled back at him, momentarily getting distracted by the teasing glint in his eyes.

"Hey, I've told you before, it's not bony, and it is in fact a perfectly lovely arse." I couldn't help but agree. "What do you think, should we get out of here?"

"Hmm…that sounds like the best idea you've ever had. At least this time we can grab some food for the journey back."

Malfoy stood up; reaching out a hand which I obligingly took and allowed him to hoist me up. We each packed whatever we could find from around the house into a small basket that had been next to the back door. "Ready when you are I guess Granger."

I swung the door open and stepped into the fresh air. I closed my eyes, breathing in deeply. "Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me." The angry growl came from behind me.

"What's wrong now?"

"If you opened your bloody eyes you'd find out."

I did as he said, blinking against the bright light. We were no longer in the wide grassy meadow like area we had entered the previous day, and instead, we were in yet another set of woods. "Bollocks!"

"Where the hell are we now?"

"Are you positive that it's not the forbidden forest?" I asked hesitantly, knowing the truth that it wasn't all too well.

"You have _been_ to the forbidden forest before haven't you? In fact, don't answer that, I know you have, and I know that you're not really that dense." He said in a frustrated voice, throwing his arms up into the air.

I ignored his little rant. "I guess that there's no point hanging around here then; we should probably get a move on." Malfoy nodded his head, not bothering to answer, I glanced back at him, just as I grabbed the gingerbread house's handle; he was sulking.

The door closed behind us; the overtly bright and vibrant colours faded as the wand stealing barrier seemed to evaporate, leaving us back in possession of our wands, and the house fizzling once more out of existence. I was so relieved to have my wand back in my hand.

"Expelliarmus." My wand once more flew from my hand, but rather than disappearing, it landed a few feet away, next to Malfoy.

He was laughing, genuinely laughing like a fool. "Why the hell did you do that?" I marched across the short distance between us, prodding him harshly in the chest. He continued to laugh. "Why did you disarm me?"

"Ow…" He grabbed my wrist, holding my hand away from his chest. "Because I can; I'm simply enjoying the fact that I have my wand back." He bent down to retrieve my wand, passing it back to me with a wicked grin on his face. "So calm yourself down Granger, it's not like I was actually trying to hurt you."

Grabbing the basket and my wand back I took off towards the path that had once again appeared. "Aguamenti." It was said so quietly that I almost missed it. Spinning around to reprimand the git again, I was hit in the face by a stream of cold water.

"Malfoy!" I yelled, he had the good grace to at least look somewhat nervous as I rounded on him again, but as I spat out the stray strands of hair that had plastered themselves to my face, he broke into a raucous laughter; I'd never seen him laugh so much. There was only one thing I could do now; retaliate. "Levicorpus."

"Unghh." The laughter stopped, but a smile remained on his face as he looked at me upside down; suspended in mid-air by his ankle. "See, it is fun to torment each other…it's only taken you seven years to understand." Colour was appearing in his normally pale cheeks as the blood rushed to his head.

I watched him awkwardly move his wand arm, a mischievous grin on his face as he obviously went to jinx me again. But I grabbed his wrist, holding his wand away from me. I had _never_ initiated contact between us; normally too nervous as to his reaction, now though, his eyes were as wide as my own, but he wasn't pushing me away.

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><p><strong>I'm not overly positive about this chapter, but at the moment my brain is too tired to figure out how to make it better. Any suggestions?<strong>

**As always, it would be lovely to hear your thoughts...**

**Gemsibob**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN - All characters etc belong to JK Rowling, and unfortunately that's not me.**

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><p>Five<p>

We looked at each other for a moment, his grey as steel eyes boring into my own. "Uh, Granger…could you let me down, I'm getting a headache."

I shook myself back to reality, instantly releasing his wrist and lowering him to the ground. He righted his tall figure and came to stand directly in front of me, resuming our silent staring match. The atmosphere was tense and a little awkward, his eyes though were completely mesmerising. I saw him raise a hand to my shoulder out of the corner of my eye, but missed the ten inches of hawthorn wand. "Aguamenti." The cold water rushed straight into my ear, sufficiently ending the tension and allowing him to dodge around me to escape.

"Again? You're seriously childish Malfoy." I grumbled as I stood with my arms out, trying to stop my cold, wet clothes sticking to my back.

"I had to…if I was going to act all chivalrous and offer you my cloak, then I had to make sure that you were suitably…wet." He winked, and I blushed at his blatant innuendo and flirtatious behaviour as he removed his cloak and wrapped it around my shoulders. "See, chivalry isn't dead."

"Thanks." I muttered, thinking it would have been a _lot_ less embarrassing to use a simple drying spell.

A thought struck me suddenly and I couldn't help the giggle that escaped me. "What are you laughing at Granger?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Aguamenti." I successfully took him by surprise covering him completely and soaking his shirt through. He looked at me incredulously, blinking rapidly with shock before his expression shifted into his legendary smirk. His eyes sparkled once more with amusement as he moved closer; like a hunter stalking his prey.

Holding tightly to the too long cloak, I ran for it. I could hear him chasing after me down the leaf littered path as we fired jinx after jinx at each other. A misplaced step later though and I was sent sprawling onto the ground, forcing Malfoy to jump over my prostrate form as he didn't have time to stop before the inevitable crash that would have occurred.

Laughing, I dragged my body into a sitting position, and wiping a stray tear from my face, I looked up into the face of a very annoyed looking Malfoy. "For fucks sake."

I was a little taken back by his very rapid mood change. "What's wrong now?" In response, he simply held up both of his hands…they were empty again. I looked at him confused; he'd dropped his wand, so what? "Did you drop your wand?" I turned around, looking at the path next to me.

"I think that I would have noticed if I'd just dropped my wand. Besides, haven't you noticed the change of attire?" He had a distinctly sour look plastered on his face; it could have had something to do with the red and black checked shirt, grubby work jeans and thick black work boots, topped off delightfully by a pair of black braces. He looked just like a lumberjack.

Controlling my face into a mask of neutral indifference, I went to walk forward. "Wait; don't move Granger."

I raised an eyebrow, smiling at the boy in front of me. "Oh, I haven't passed through the barrier yet have I?" He shook his head. I wanted to taunt him, knowing full well that if the situation was reversed, that he would probably have no qualms about leaving me in there by myself. But I couldn't do it. "I can't just leave you there on your own, who knows what could happen."

"Of course you can't; I was only making you _think_ that you had the option."

Although I knew that I couldn't leave, it didn't mean that I couldn't have a little fun with the situation. If he was through the barrier already, then I very much doubted that he would be able to get back across. Standing with my hands on my hips, I looked at him again. "Right, but one thing Malfoy, how exactly are you going to get me over there with you?"

His hand hit the barrier. "Shit, I'd forgotten about that."

I smiled and walked back up the path a few steps. "Well, have fun Malfoy; I'll see you when you get back."

"Granger…get back here, you can't leave me alone, because it's your bloody fault we're here in the fucking first place." He ranted.

"Jesus, calm down Malfoy. Luckily for you my morals are still intact; unlike some people, and I don't think I could even leave my worst enemy here by themselves."

"Guess I'm in luck then…if you could call it that." Rolling my eyes, I strolled through the barrier, feeling the familiar tingling sensation as my wand vanished and my clothes changed. "Aww, don't you look adorable."

I did not particularly relish the idea of looking down, but I knew I would have to eventually. I blinked; there was a lot of red and white. Shiny red mary-jane's adorned my feet with knee high white socks. I was wearing a simple white dress with a red lace trim and to top it all off, a red, hooded cloak.

This could only mean one thing; 'Little Red Riding Hood'. "Seriously…" I half whimpered. "What is it with these stories where things want to eat me?"

Malfoy winked. "Dressed like that Granger, you do look pretty edible."

I instantly dropped my head, a fiery red heat to match my new cloak spreading across my cheeks. That was definitely not a phrase I ever expected to come out of Malfoy's mouth. When I'd been silent for a while, Malfoy cleared his throat. "Just so you know, when someone pays you a compliment, you're supposed to thank them."

"Th…that was a compliment?"

"I like to think so."

"Uhm, well thanks…I guess."

He smiled, giving me a quick nod of the head in acknowledgement, and finally moved his eyes away from me. I breathed out a quiet sigh, resisting the urge to fan my hot face with my hands. "So what story do you think we're in this time?"

"I believe that it's 'Little Red Riding Hood'." He had a blank look on his face. "A wolf, eats and impersonates a grandmother, little girl goes to visit said grandmother, where the wolf tries to eat her as well. Luckily she is saved by a local woodcutter…" I point at him. "…who hacks the wolf up with his axe…also saving the grandmother from the wolf's stomach."

Malfoy nodded approvingly. "Another violent children's story, from the minds of muggles then. Hang on though; does that mean I have to save you this time?"

"Not if I can bloody help it…hopefully it won't get that far. Anyway, there are many versions of this story, some where the wolf just hides the grandmother and where the woodcutter simply scares the wolf away…so no violence. I just thought that you would appreciate the violent version more."

"The one where I get to hack something up with an axe does sound infinitely cooler."

We walked along the path for a few more minutes before yet another clearing came into view; it was like walking around a bloody theme park that had been split into 'zones'. Nestled between the trees sat a small thatched cottage, with white washed walls and a bright red door.

"Let's get this over with then." I sighed, trudging forward until I reached the door. With a hesitant hand, I knocked quietly on the door.

A strangely familiar voice came from within the cottage. "Come in."

I opened the door cautiously, poking my head around it to get a look at the interior. I nearly lost my balance as the shock of what I saw hit me. Sat comfortably in an armchair next to the fireplace, was my _actual_ gran. "Gran…what?"

"Oh Hermione dear, I was expecting you a little earlier than this, and I was wondering when you would turn up."

I shook my head, trying to clear the confusion. "You were?"

"Of course, you normally visit just after lunch time; it's gone four 'o' clock already." I couldn't help but stare at the odd scenario, repeating the mantra 'this isn't real' over and over in my head…but she was exactly like my gran, not just in looks but with all of her mannerisms, it was weird. "Who's this then?"

She inclined her head towards Malfoy, and he moved around me to greet her. "Draco Malfoy Ma'am, it's a pleasure to meet you. Hermione's told me so much about you." I shot him a what-the-hell-are-you-doing look to which he simply shrugged his shoulders.

My gran stood up slowly from her chair. "Would you both like some tea?" I nodded mutely, unable to form coherent sentences and she smiled warmly as she left the room. How did I end up in the middle of a fairy-tale with a doppelgänger of my real gran? I needed to sit down, so I slumped onto the sofa next to Malfoy.

"So that's your actual gran then eh?"

"Mm hmm."

"You do realise that this isn't real, and therefore in this circumstance, neither is she? No use getting attached."

I glanced up at him from my slouched position, was he trying to be nice again? "I know, besides, my _real_ gran died a couple of years ago."

"Oh…sorry, I didn't know."

"Why _would_ you know that? But hey, at least it makes it a lot easier to distinguish between fairy-tale and reality." I gave him a weak smile as I turned my head to the side to look at him; he was also smiling, in a sympathetic way.

"Do you miss her?"

"Of course…but I've gotten used to it now though." I jumped a little as Malfoy's fingers found my own, wrapping around them and squeezing gently; I couldn't help but squeeze his back.

Gran re-entered the cosy living room carrying a tray which she placed on the small table in front of the fire. We soon lapsed into a happy afternoon of reminiscing and laughter, in which Malfoy even joined us.

She cornered me in the kitchen though as we prepared dinner; she had the same cheeky glint in her eyes that she'd always had when I was a child. "He's quite the handsome young man isn't he?" I shrugged my shoulders, attempting an indifference that I didn't quite pull off as I felt the skin on my face heat up. "If only I was sixty years younger." She winked.

"Gran…!" I was left spluttering at the mere thought.

"It's true; he is truthfully very good looking. Don't be letting that one go in a hurry dear; I saw you two earlier, holding hands, looking adoringly at each other."

I scoffed, unable to contain the sarcastic laugh. I didn't know where she was getting these ideas from; but then again, she didn't know how much of a git he could be…albeit, an attractive git, who of late, has actually been fairly nice to me.

After dinner, our evening was spent in a comfortable silence as we sat in front of the fire, reading books and listening to the crackling wood. It became a little awkward though as we discussed sleeping arrangements.

There was only one spare bedroom, in which there was a double bed, my gran surprisingly wasn't opposed to me and Malfoy sharing; it was me who declined feeling worried for my sanity around the boy. I offered to take the sofa in the lounge, but Malfoy, showing his gentleman's upbringing insisted that I take the bed. Somehow I think if my imaginary gran hadn't been in the room, there would have been a much bigger argument.

I lay awake in the darkness. I know how this story goes, and I couldn't help but panic slightly at the thoughts of my grandmother being overwhelmed by a bloody wolf. I was also perfectly aware that this was a 'fairy-tale' and that my actual gran (who was dead) was in no danger…but it was becoming more of an effort for me to distinguish these thoughts in my mind.

Two hours of restless tossing and turning later I could take it no more, and sneaking on tip toes; I made my way to the living room. It was much warmer in here, the remains of the evening fire keeping the room at a much more comfortable temperature.

Seeking company, I approached the sofa; Malfoy was sleeping peacefully, his long legs pulled up towards his stomach as he cradled the pillow on his arms. He'd been acting more playful and comforting around me even in the few days that we'd been here, and I found that I liked him more and more. It was nice to feel protected, which is how I found myself curled up at the end of his feet, finally drifting off to sleep.

"Granger…come on, you need to wake up." My eyes opened slowly, as I felt the ache in my neck from sleeping awkwardly. Malfoy was leaning over me and it was entirely too early to be confronted with such a bright shirt, even if he was shaking my shoulders gently.

"What time is it?" I asked through a yawn.

"That's not important right now, but you _really_ do need to get up." I pulled my body upright, straightening my legs and frowning at my rumpled dress. I barely had time to stretch as Malfoy yanked me off the sofa, pointing towards the narrow staircase.

About half way up was one of my gran's slippers…or the blood covered remains of it anyway.

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><p><strong>Dun dun...duhhh.<strong>

**I hope you enjoyed that; I'm sure you'd let me know if you didn't.**

**Gemsibob**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN - I only own the plot...not any of the wonderful characters.**

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><p>Six<p>

My knees began to vibrate, threatening to give way beneath me at any second. I was thankful that Malfoy still had a tight hold on my upper arms, because he was effectively the only thing keeping me upright at this moment.

I was stunned; there was never this much blood and gore in the fairy tales that I remembered as a kid. His voice finally broke into my thoughts. "I've already had a look at the downstairs rooms; there isn't anything down here, which would suggest that it was…"

"Upstairs." I gasped, cutting him off. There was only one room upstairs as far as I could tell; sort of like a dormer bungalow. "Gran…" I attempted to run for the stairs, but Malfoy's hands only tightened around my arms.

"I thought you were meant to be smart." I blinked at him, my brain failing to comprehend his words. "One, we have already established that the woman upstairs isn't your actual grandmother, so there is no need to go running to the rescue. And two, there is quite possibly something in this house that would be more than willing to rip our faces off."

I stilled all movements, he was right, there wasn't any point doing something reckless. Begging my brain to relax and actually think about the situation, I realised something. "How come we didn't hear anything? We were both out here on the sofa…"

Malfoy released an unsettled breath, letting go of my arms and sinking down onto the sofa. "I was going to ask you how that happened actually, but now, that's not what I'm worrying about; we were both, as you say, out here asleep on the sofa, which would have made us sitting targets. How come it didn't come after us as well?"

"Well…if this is all sticking to the parameters of the fairy tale, then it wouldn't simply come after us. Instead it would try and lure us closer under false pretences. Although, our 'characters' being here overnight isn't actually part of the story." I frowned, this wasn't right. It was a silly children's story, it couldn't be that dangerous surely? Besides, it wasn't ever likely in the 'Hansel and Gretel' scenario that we would actually get hurt.

Silence engulfed us for a moment, until it was broken as Malfoy abruptly stood. "We could just leave."

I shook my head, there was no way I could abandon 'fake granny'. He strode towards the door…which didn't budge. It seemed that like the first round, we would be prevented from leaving before the rightful end.

"No, come on Malfoy, let's get this over with and go upstairs. Apart from trying to eat people, the wolf in the story was originally pretty harmless." He was looking at me wholly unconvinced.

"Granger, I am not a fucking Gryffindor, us Slytherin's believe in a little thing called self-preservation. I'm sure you've heard of it." He stood in front of me, thumbs tucked behind his braces.

"Yes, but think about it, I don't think we should be working ourselves up too much. It's only a children's story, so if we go upstairs, all we'll find is a wolf dressed in my grandmothers clothing…" I giggled at the ridiculous image of cross-dressing wolves. "…and then we can kill it."

"A children's story it may be; but nothing 'pretty harmless' could result in that much blood." He pointed back towards the small pool of blood surrounding the torn slipper.

"Aww, who's afraid of the big bad wolf?" I couldn't help the baby voice I put on with those words, standing in front of him with my hands on my hips.

"I will readily admit that I am, have you ever seen Fenrir Greyback? He's a fucking beast."

I laughed. "Yes, but there's a difference between werewolves and the wolves of a child's imagination"

"I don't see you gallivanting off up the stairs either."

"Fine." I turned my back on him and walked across the room; still hoping in the recesses of my mind that he would come with me. He didn't.

Carefully I made my way up the wooden stairs, skirting around the bloody slipper. There was more blood on the small landing; not much, just a few drops spattered across the bare floorboards.

I had been right, there _was_ only one room up here, and its door was slightly ajar. Exhaling slowly, I closed the distance and pushed the door open. I froze; my heart beating painfully against my ribcage. I had also been incredibly wrong; some aspects of this were deviating wildly from the original storyline. Apparently, even magic couldn't make animals talk.

Shreds of nightclothes were strewn across the floor of the bedroom and on top of the rumpled bed. In the centre of the carnage, curled up with its head resting against its front paws, lay a real wolf.

Its pelt was a dark charcoal grey, the muzzle spattered not only with blood, but paler, white hairs. It appeared to be asleep, with its overly distended abdomen shuddering up and down with each steady breath. Besides the blood, there was no other sign of my gran.

"Granger?" The hiss of my name made me practically jump out of my skin, and I watched the wolf warily, hoping beyond everything that the noise wouldn't wake it. My companions' footsteps became louder as he ascended the stairs towards me. "How's your gran?"

"Sssh." He'd reached the landing now and moved to stand behind me. I could feel the heat radiating from his body and his breath moving the hairs on my head.

"Fucking hell…" I turned to watch him over my shoulder and indicated with a nod towards the stairs; as in to say we needed to go back down them, now.

As quietly as possible, we inched our way down the stairs. We'd almost made it, but the next stair down creaked loudly as we loaded it with our combined weight. I strained my ear, listening intently and heard a muffled growl.

"Oh my god, I didn't shut the door…" I whispered.

"Well it's a bit late to keep it locked in there now isn't it?"

"You never know, it might not be properly awake?" I asked hopefully.

"Don't be stupid Granger." He folded is arms defiantly against his chest.

"But if we locked it in, we might be able to contain it for longer, give ourselves time to prepare."

"Or, we could be making the thing _really_ angry. Besides, you can't be sure it's not awake?"

"We're still alive and having an argument aren't we; I'm thinking that it would have made an appearance by now if it were truly awake."

His face showed how exasperated he was becoming with me, like he wanted to shake some sense into me. "Fine, do what you like Granger; see if I care."

His lips were pouting and his brow was furrowed, making him look like a petulant child. "I will be literally two seconds Draco." He wasn't going to respond, so I rolled my eyes and went to the stairs.

Avoiding the traitorous creaky stair, I crept back up them. Looking through the banister I clearly saw the wolf. It _was_ very much awake, grooming itself to remove the blood from its fur, seemingly biding it's time.

The reaction was instantaneous; as soon as my fingers touched the door handle, two amber eyes were fixed on me, and the creatures teeth were bared in a decidedly unfriendly grin. The growl that burst from its throat as it stood up on the mattress was low and raspy; if I was to run, surely it would pounce? That thought in mind, I edged ever so slowly backwards, maintaining a steady pace.

Its eyes were locked onto mine, not wavering at all. My hip touched the banister and I had to twist my body around it. Two stairs down, and the wolf was off the bed, silhouetted in the bedroom door frame. Seven stairs down and I could see it on the top step when I looked over my shoulder. At the bottom, Malfoy had lifted his head to look at me, his eyes widening with fear as the wolf launched itself at my back.

Intense pain was all I registered as its claws sunk into my shoulders, sending me crashing down onto the hard floor. I could feel the wolf's hot, damp breath on the nape of my neck, which sent a violent shiver of fear racing down my spine, leaving hair standing on end in its wake.

The wolf was much heavier than I had expected as it used its front paws to hold me down. Every time I attempted to pull myself up, its teeth would snap at my exposed flesh. From the corner of my eye I saw the shadow of a man approach us. A menacing snarl ripped from its throat at the same time the pressure on my body was released.

Using the opportunity, I was instantly on my feet again, my shoulders throbbing painfully. I hastily looked around the room and saw Draco looking at me with fear in his eyes, something I had never seen before. There was a sofa cushion lying nearby, Malfoy had obviously tried to distract it away from me. But now, it was moving towards him instead.

Draco's leg moved, and his thick work boot connected with the wolf's side. It yelped, but did not halt its advances. He was running out of room behind him, there had to be something I could do? I searched hurriedly around the room for any sort of weapon, there was bugger all here. "I'll be right back Draco." Kicking my legs into gear, I made a dash for the kitchen, there had to be a weapon in there, a knife perhaps.

Ripping open cupboards and drawers, I threw the useless contents to the side. I didn't hear anything going on around me as I frantically searched. "Where the bloody hell are all the knives?"

"Granger, get out of there." Malfoy roared from the lounge just before the wolf's sharp teeth sank through the flesh of my ankle.

I screamed in agony, my ankle felt like it was burning up in fire. Being completely off balance as the wolf held my foot off the ground at an awkward angle; it was easy for the animal to tug me viciously to the ground. I landed on my back and could already feel the blood soaking into my pretty white sock. I futilely attempted to kick it away from me, but nothing happened; instead it would jerk its head to the side to avoid my kick, pulling my ankle with it.

Silent tears trickled relentlessly from the corners of my eyes as the wolf began to maul me, its claws scratching at my arms and legs. I was going to die, I knew it. Having survived a war, I was instead going to be killed in a fantasy land that a bloody cupboard had transported me to, being mauled by a wild animal. It was utterly surreal.

I squeezed my eyes shut, refusing to watch my own death as it progressed. Malfoy had clearly made a run for it, finally deserting me as I had thought he would. Maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to give him praise, as he had said earlier, he was a believer in self-preservation…and it had never been more obvious to me than it was right now.

Can't say I really blamed him though, it was better if only one of us had to die.

"Hermione…" There was a dreadful crunching sound. Bones must have been crushed and splintered, yet I felt no pain…it must have already been too late. "Hermione Granger, you better open your eyes this instant…Granger; fuck."

My body was shifted upwards, and pulled against something warm. "Bye Draco…" I released a ragged breath, screwing my eyes shut and allowed the darkness to completely envelop me.

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><p><strong>Ooh, bit exciting wasn't it?<strong>

**What did you guys think then?**

**Thank you for all of the reviews guys, I do appreciate them very much :-)**

**Gemsibob**


	7. Chapter 7

**Wow, well I think that was definitely the best response I've had to any chapter of this story so far...so thank you very much, I'm glad you all enjoyed it so much.**

**AN - Everything but the plot belongs to JK Rowling, which is probably very nice for her...but not so much for me :-(**

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><p>Seven<p>

My eyelids felt heavy, like they had been shut for a very long time. I was cold, but could feel the unmistakable tingle of heat as magic poured over my skin. "Ow…" the tingle was turning into a slightly uncomfortable prickling sensation. Eventually I managed to open my eyes; I had to know what was going on. But instead I was blinded by bright sunlight. "Sheesh…ow." I mumbled, pulling my body upright until I could lean on my elbows.

Malfoy was kneeling on the ground, his body leaning over my legs and his wand pressed firmly to the skin. His eyes flicked over in my direction. "Oh thank fuck; I thought you'd never wake up…now keep still for a bit longer okay?"

I couldn't help the crease from forming in brow, I had no idea what was going on. "Uhm, Malfoy…" His head turned in my direction a fraction, but he didn't say a word. "Why are you healing me?"

A pale blond eyebrow was raised then. "Because you were absolutely covered in scratches, and bleeding quite a lot." He said in a slightly sarcastic tone. "You passed out though, from shock I would have thought." His mouth turned up into a warm smile, and his features instantly relaxed; he had obviously been _very_ tense. "Besides, I couldn't exactly let the head girl die now could I…because then who would I torment? "He sat up, resting his hands on his thighs.

"You saved me didn't you, fr…from the wolf?" His smile vanished and his jaw became tight again. Memories of the past hour began flowing freely through my mind, and I couldn't stop the tears forming in my eyes again.

I needed comfort, which was why instead of thinking about who I was with and how he would potentially react; I launched myself at Malfoy, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck and holding him as close to me as I physically could; it was only after I had buried my face into his neck that the tears actually began to fall.

His body stiffened beneath mine for a moment but his arms eventually found their way around my body as well. He rested his cheek against the top of my head as I sat in his lap with my legs around his hips.

My body was literally vibrating with relief at having made it out alive, and it took me a few seconds to realise that Malfoy's hand was rubbing my back in a soothing manner. "Sssh Hermione, you're safe now. I killed the bloody wolf, so don't worry, alright, it can't hurt you now."

I lifted my head to look at him. "You killed it?" I managed to say through the sniffling.

He looked at me with a confused expression, leaning back further so his eyes could roam over my face better. "Of course I did Granger, what else could I have done? It was going to kill _you_ if I hadn't have got to it first." He sighed. "You're not going to start harping on about all that animal cruelty bullshit are you?"

"I didn't mean it like that." I was quick to reassure, grabbing his face in my hands to stop him pulling back further. "I'm glad you…you know, killed it. Thank you." All thoughts of crying vanished as I looked at his face from this new vantage point.

His silver eyes were swirling with emotion and an intensity I'd never seen before, and I watched them, completely fascinated as the colour seemed to darken when I swept his long hair away from his brow. I was entranced by him now; his eyes and the smooth skin of his face were drawing me in. "I mean it Draco, thank you so much." I leant forward to press a light kiss to his forehead, but a warm hand came up and caressed my cheek, quickly changing the angle of my lips so that he could press his own against them instead.

My eyelids fluttered shut of their own accord; I was literally in heaven. The kiss was slow, exploratory as our lips melded together, and worked against each other with a delicious pressure. Draco gently nipped at my lower lip, pressing his tongue against the crease of my lips until I opened my mouth, inviting him in.

Thought processes and words were failing me completely as our tongues duelled and caressed in much the same way as our hands. I had one hand curled in his devilishly soft hair as the other gripped and stroked his neck and shoulders. His hands simply held me, pulling my body tightly against his.

Eventually, Draco broke the kiss, resting his forehead against mine. "You're welcome."

I shook my head, trying to remember what I had previously said. "For the rescue…or that?"

He grinned, giving me a sly wink. "Both."

I smiled right back before leaning in to give the cocky little git another quick kiss. "I mean it though; I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." And what a very nice place to be it was too; sitting in the lap of the notoriously handsome and talented Slytherin. "How _did_ you do it by the way? Save me, I mean."

He shifted me out of his lap and knelt once more in front of me. "Let me finish healing you first, and then I'll tell you." I watched, stunned as he grabbed the edge of his school robe (how had I not noticed the lack of lumberjack attire?) and ripped a long strip away from it. He proceeded to gently lift my leg into his lap, and for the first time I noticed the teeth marks punctuating my normally blemish free legs.

"Oh, my god..." I exclaimed.

He laughed gently. "I know, but you should have seen it twenty minutes ago, there was a shit load of blood."

"How long was I out for?"

"Probably about half an hour I guess. I was beginning to think that you'd never wake up, or at the very least require a blood replenishing potion. If that had been the case, we would have been in serious trouble."

His movements were slow and careful as he wrapped the strip of material around my ankle and foot as a makeshift bandage. I winced whenever it pulled a little at the fresh wound and his hands would instantly still.

"Do you think you can stand?" He jumped up from the ground, holding both hands out to me. I took them in my own, and attempted to stand as well. The moment I put even the slightest bit of weight on my injured ankle, a burning sensation erupted, travelling halfway up my leg.

"Ow, ow, ow…bloody hell." I hissed, pulling my leg up instantly, balancing shakily on the other leg.

"I'll take that as a no then, unless it was your intention to look like a flamingo."

I glowered at him. "Just for that, you now have to help me over to that fallen tree." I pointed behind him, where a fallen branch had landed, providing a convenient seat.

Rolling his eyes, he casually threw an arm around my waist, and held onto my hand with his spare one. "I think that you might already be forgetting, but I just saved your life."

I smiled up at the frustrating blond. "Well that makes us even then; I could have left you in that cage you know." He opened his mouth to retort, but obviously thought better as he allowed it to close again. He was clearly learning.

He held onto my hands tightly as he shifted me around and lowered me into a sitting position on the log. We sat in silence for a moment, until Draco finally noticed my stare. "I know that it's impossible to keep your eyes off me Granger, but it's getting a bit creepy now."

I ignored his last comment, refusing to let my embarrassment surface. "You were meant to be telling the heroic tale of my rescue."

"Of course I was; and I'm glad you recognise the heroism." He turned to face me, bringing his hands up and splaying his fingers out to set the scene. "So there you were Granger, lying helpless on the floor, a snarling wolf hovering over your prostrate form. There was blood everywhere, it was horrible to see you like that, and quite honestly at that point I thought you were possibly already dead. I was actually relieved when you flinched - if you can believe it - as it pawed at your stomach."

He paused, looking carefully at me, trying to convey something. I couldn't figure it out; it was like he wanted me to trust him. We were probably way past that after the snogging session moments ago. "I've never felt so useless; I really don't know how muggles manage it, I tried to get to you sooner, I really did, but…"

"Muggles don't usually come up against wild animals either though Malfoy…so you did a lot better than many others would have done."

He shrugged. "Yes, well…anyway, that house was fucking useless too; completely weapon free; so I grabbed the only thing I could find, and even now that I'm thinking about it, I can't believe it actually worked."

"What did you use?" This story was good, it was just a shame it had really happened.

"The small side table in the lounge. I pulled the legs off it and held it around the edge, then, using all of my masculine strength, I swung it at the wolfs head. Think I shattered its skull." He said sounding particularly impressed with himself.

"I thought that was one of _my_ bones breaking." I mumbled quietly.

Wordlessly, he took my hand and shook his head. "That's when I said your name, do you remember? Your actual given name, Hermione; I hardly ever say it, and do you know what you said to me?"

"Oh…" I gasped, a small flash of memory twisting into mind. "I said 'bye Draco' didn't I?"

"Yes you did, like you were fucking dying or something. Honestly, I never knew that you were so dramatic Granger."

"I had just suffered through being ripped to shreds by a wolf…" I pouted.

"True, so I'll let you off this time, but besides that, I realised that you were going to need some serious healing. Get ready with the swooning for this part Granger." I swatted at his arm, he was such an incorrigible prick sometimes. "I picked you up, cradling you against my impressive body," He paused to wink at me. "and carried you out of the house and across that damn barrier, I then rather expertly used my wand to heal your wounds."

It was all said so matter of factly that I had to really fight the urge to laugh; his story had gone from moving and intense to heroic and self-flattering quicker than you could say Quidditch, and now he was looking at me expectantly. "Thank you…" I said, hesitantly, not sure what I was meant to be saying.

"No round of applause." Really, did his head need to get any bigger? Nonetheless, I clapped my hands together a couple of times to stroke his ego, and he nodded in acceptance, flashing me a toothy grin as he pulled me into a bear hug.

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><p><strong>Ooh, the first inkling of a romance now...hope you all enjoyed this chapter as well.<strong>

**Let me know :-)**

**Gemsibob**


	8. Chapter 8

**I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and are looking forwards to the New Year.**

**AN - Everything but the plot belongs to JK Rowling.**

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><p>Eight<p>

"What was that for?" I asked as he released me from his hold.

"I'm glad you're not dead Granger…" he smiled, eyes twinkling. "…because then I'd be forced to figure a way out of this by myself."

I rolled my eyes at the annoying blond. "So what do you think we should do now?"

He leant forward, leaning his elbows on his thighs. "Follow the path again I guess, I don't think there's much else we can do."

Wordlessly he stood up, and after rifling through his school robes for a moment, pulled out my wand and held it out to me. It was instantly soothing to have it back in my hands, and I cast a pain numbing charm on my ankle before I gingerly stood up; it still hurt a bit, but nowhere near as bad as the intense burning pain I had felt previously.

"Shall we go?" I asked as I looked at Malfoy over my shoulder.

"It _would_ be nice to get out of these woods by nightfall." He agreed.

As before, I followed Malfoy down the dry, mud path, limping my way through the crisp autumn leaves. The limp I had been forced to accommodate was slowing me down considerably, and I had to keep reminding Malfoy to slow down. His stride in normal circumstances was longer than mine, now it was just ridiculous.

He was getting frustrated with me as well, I could tell, and by the fifth time during the course of the day that I had shouted after his disappearing figure to slow down or stop; he had retraced his steps, marching determinedly towards me. A shocked squeal of surprise escaped my throat as he stooped down in front of me, his arms encircling around my legs and lower back before he hoisted me up and over his shoulder, in an undignified fireman's lift.

"Malfoy…" I yelled at his back. "What the hell do you think you're playing at? Put me down this instant." He ignored me, only making me angrier with him. "I am not a bloody child you know."

I began pounding his body with my fists, taking out my frustration. "Hitting me isn't going to make me put you down you know. Besides, it's not like your little girly fists are actually hurting me." I thumped him as hard as I could, my coordination whilst hanging upside down was a little off, and instead of hitting his back, I got his arse instead.

A laugh rumbled through him, making the ride a lot more uncomfortable as his shoulders shook up and down with mirth. He patted me on the bum condescendingly. "And you said you weren't a child."

"I think you'll find that I am much more mature than you Malfoy."

"Says the girl whose taking her temper out on my poor arse?" He was right damn it; refusing to dignify that with a response, I ceased my rampant fists and remained silent, hanging over his shoulders like a rag doll.

We stayed liked that for a few minutes, Malfoy continued to chuckle quietly to himself as he walked. My blood however was pooling in my head, causing a headache. "Uhm Malfoy, can you put me down please?"

His arms held onto me tightly as he pulled me back over his shoulder and slid me down the front of his body. Being upright again made me dizzy and I swayed a bit, but his arms didn't fully release their hold on me until I looked up at him properly.

"Is that better?" He asked, smiling at me kindly.

"What, now that I'm back on two feet you mean?" I replied sarcastically. "Yes, it's much better, thanks."

We had been walking for a few hours by this point, and had yet to encounter a new 'story' for us to enter. Despite Malfoy carrying me for that last twenty minutes or so, I was exhausted. "I don't think I can go any further today, I'm knackered." He was looking up at the bit of sky that was visible. I looked too; it was getting towards dusk and the sky was of a pretty orange hue.

"Are you sure that I can't just carry you for a bit longer? We might find something else a bit further up."

"No, I will not let you carry me; anyway, I am more than cap…"

He held a hand up to cease my words. "Don't you dare say 'capable' miss-hop-along, I doubt that that ankle of yours will allow you to walk much further today; whereas I still have two fully functioning legs, and anyway, it's not as if you're exactly heavy."

"I said no, alright?"

"But why not?" He was looking at me sternly now, his molten silver eyes working to make my thoughts unintelligible as they bored into mine.

I didn't want to say anything that would indicate a weakness on my part, but eventually I forced myself to state the real reason. "I hate not being in control, alright, and to have you carrying me like some damsel in distress…well it seems wrong."

"I forgot that you're a control freak." I glared angrily at him. "But that's not necessarily a bad thing." He amended quickly.

Limping away from him, I awkwardly manoeuvred my body until I was sat on the slightly damp grass, next to a tall tree. My ankle was throbbing now as the charm wore off, maybe walking on it for nearly an entire day had been a bad idea.

Malfoy crouched down in front of me, flicking his hair from out of his eyes as I sulked; shaking his head he cast another pain numbing charm. "You are so fucking stubborn sometimes." I raised an eyebrow disbelievingly and cleared my throat. "What? You are though."

"I know I'm stubborn, but you are as well; you wouldn't exactly win the 'accommodating' award would you?" I huffed.

"Well someone's being a grumpy bitch aren't they?"

"I would suggest that you stop talking if you know what's best for you; and remember that I am currently in possession of my wand again."

He started minutely at my growled words. "Which is why I am going to go and set up tonight's protection wards." He bid a hasty retreat, disappearing amongst the trees. It was getting considerably colder again now that it was nearly dark, and a sharp breeze was building up as it tumbled through the mossy grass and trees.

I rubbed absently at the sore muscles surrounding my injured ankle. The spell was working well, but it was still feeling a bit tender. So maybe Malfoy was a nice guy after all. I came over all warm and giddy as I remembered our kiss from earlier. It had become a lot more apparent to me as well, that I had been wanting _something_ to happen between us for a lot longer than I had consciously thought.

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><p>It was another evening sat around a crackling fire in a comfortable silence, both obviously wrapped up in our own thoughts. On my part, I couldn't help but sneak a glance or two at him, the amber glow of the flames flickering over his face. He looked somewhat content as he too watched the flames with a small smile on his lips.<p>

The guy had saved my life; what had happened to all that 'self-preservation' tripe he'd spouted off about earlier in the day? There were certainly hidden depths to the Slytherin that no one ever expected, least of all me. But I was delighted to see it; I liked spending time with a kind Malfoy…probably too much actually.

"I don't hate you, you know." His voice broke into my thoughts, forcing me to look at him quizzically. "I don't hate you; never really did now that I think about it." My eyes had gone wide; I couldn't believe I was hearing him right. "Don't give me that look Granger, I know that you've thought about it before, your thoughts can be surprisingly transparent."

"Whereas your thoughts are completely impossible to decipher."

The smirk reappeared. "Years of practice on my part."

"Well I suppose I don't dislike you either."

"You don't dislike me; does that mean that you like me then, oh eloquent one?"

I was incredibly grateful that our only light source was an orange tinted one as I blushed. "My impression of you may have improved somewhat…or, well quite a lot actually."

We looked at each other for a moment. Malfoy smiled at me, but didn't respond. Instead he stretched his body out onto its side. "Are you going to join me Granger?" I looked at him confused, and he simply held the edges of his winter cloak up. "To go to sleep Granger."

"Oh, uhm yes, I guess so." I slid my body over until I was next to him. Lying down a little awkwardly; last time had been bad enough and there hadn't been as many feelings and emotions flying around.

"Relax Hermione; we're just going to sleep." He pulled my body closer again, until we were spooning quite comfortably under our makeshift blanket. One arm was slung casually over my waist and was resting against my stomach, his other arm was tucked under my neck and he'd brought it up to rest across my chest. It was essentially a (quite intimate) hug.

As we lay together, I was struggling to control my breathing, and so apparently was Draco. I felt it speed up; his chest rising and falling against my back. "Hermione…"

"Hmm?" He moved back an inch or two, pulling my body over until I lay more on my back. His grey eyes were fixed on me, and his beautiful face was all I could see; and it was definitely getting closer…oh god.

I shuddered as one smooth finger trailed along my jawline, moving teasingly slow towards my cheek. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, allowing his fingers to skim down my neck; and then his lips were on mine again.

The frenzied kisses of earlier were gone, and in their place were calm, gentle kisses. His lips were pressing to mine with such warmth and need that I didn't even consider stifling the moan that rose in my throat; causing him to chuckle.

When he pulled away, I swatted lightly at his chest. "That wasn't quite 'just going to sleep' was it Draco?"

"Right, because you were putting up such a fight?" He laughed, turning me so I lay against his chest again.

"Ah, touché Draco." I squeezed the hand that lay across my stomach, and just as I was falling asleep, I felt his arms tighten around me with a squeeze of their own.

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><p><strong>Bit sappy at the end there, but it needed some there I think.<strong>

**Thank you all SO much...there were a lot of reviews for that last chapter. I am very glad that you're all enjoying it so much, and I know some of you have suggested some fairy-tales of your own. If I can work more in, then I will. But if I feel that the story line isn't as evolved as the remaining chapters I have in my head and notes, then I won't extend it, only to have my story turn into something I'm not proud of.**

**Thanks again.**

**Gemsibob**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year. Mine has been a tad on the hectic side, hence the delay in chapters.**

**Thanks so much for all of the reviews and favourites etc. I appreciate it muchly. :-)**

**AN - Harry Potter and the delightful Draco Malfoy belong to JK Rowling, I only wish I could have come up with them.**

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><p>Nine<p>

I woke with a start; it was still dark and so I found myself hesitantly looking around me with sleepy eyes. Malfoy was still next to me, his arms holding me close. I couldn't help but smile, he had officially snogged me senseless last night. The situation between us had certainly evolved over the last few days; we weren't bickering as much, and well, if he kept kissing me like that, then I wasn't going to complain about it.

Maybe being transported here by the damn broom cupboard and being repeatedly nearly killed was a good thing…right?

I still had a slight sense of unease, and so pulled myself up onto my elbow. I really couldn't see anything that could've woken me; besides, Malfoy had put up all the protection wards, so I was perfectly safe. "Granger, lie back down, you're letting all the cold air in."

"Jesus Malfoy, you made me jump." His voice had truthfully surprised me so much that my heart was now jumping around a bit extremely in my chest. That's when I felt it. Goosebumps erupted along both arms and I felt the hair on my neck stand on end; there was a pulsing in the air around us. "You definitely cast all of the protection spells didn't you?" I asked nervously.

He blearily opened his eyes. "What the fuck are you going on about?"

"Can't you feel that?"

He raised an eyebrow, but quickly sat up beside me. "Wumphf, wumphf, wumphf…is that what you mean?"

"Yes, it's like the air is moving around us."

Pulling back the cloak, Malfoy gingerly climbed out and stood up, just as the ground shook violently, nearly throwing him off balance. The shaking was followed by an almighty 'crack' sound that reverberated through the air; it was like the surrounding area had been struck by lightning.

And then everything was still, even the breeze had stopped. Even though I was still covered by Draco's cloak, I was suddenly very cold. He had lit his wand and was now squinting into the darkness around us. He moved to stand behind me, and as he moved…I saw it.

Glowing incredibly faintly in the inky darkness was something thin and tall. It was so tall that it quickly disappeared amongst the trees. I stood up next to Malfoy, wincing slightly as I put weight on my ankle. "What do you think that is?" I pointed to the recent apparition.

"Uhm…I'm not entirely sure." We simply stood there for a minute or two, staring at it. The faint glow that surrounded the object seemed to pulse; just as the air had been doing moments ago. "It's like some sort of beacon; calling us towards it."

"It may be a little hypnotic yes, but I don't think going over to it is a good idea for a start."

"I don't think we have much of a choice." I began nervously biting at my nails, and Malfoy's hand came up, gently pulling my hand away from my mouth. "Come on, we could at least get a closer look. It's time to once more bring out the inner lioness."

My ankle had obviously seized up again during the night, but with the aide of Malfoy's healing charms the skin had healed and once again appeared unmarred by the wolf's teeth. Walking was still a bit uncomfortable though, so we slowly approached the glowing object, Malfoy's arm around my waist supporting me the entire time.

The waves of light pushed over us, and there was a central point of light that was about six feet wide…it seemed to be contained. A light patch surrounded by darkness. "I think this might be our next stop." He pointed towards the object. "That looks rather like one of those bloody barriers to me."

I looked closer, he was right again, damn it. Inside, the thin, tall object had become more visible. It was so tall it went up through the canopy of the trees above us. Approximately a foot in diameter, with thick vines twisting and spiralling up the length of it; it was undoubtedly a beanstalk, which meant we would have to face a giant next. Fanbloodytastic. Especially as I still had a _slight_ injury which would almost definitely stop me running at full speed.

Noticing my hesitation, Malfoy simply lifted my body off the ground; only an inch or two, but enough to prevent my escape, and strolled straight through the barrier. It was bright in here compared to on the other side, and I attempted to glare at him as I blinked my eyes furiously in the light. "A little warning would have been nice Malfoy."

"You'd have only objected to it. It's easier to simply do it, and put up with your moaning later." He was looking at me expectantly again now, nodding his head in the direction of the beanstalk. "I'm guessing we have to climb it or something, as there doesn't appear to be a house?"

"Yeah, I think that it's probably going to be Jack and the Beanstalk; so unfortunately, I think you're right." I resisted the urge to groan simply at the thought of having to climb it.

He walked over to the beanstalk, craning his neck back to look up the length of it. "It's fucking tall; it seemingly goes straight through the clouds. This seems like a stupid fairy-tale to me…"

I couldn't help but agree; not only was I still sporting a (mostly healed) injury, but I was absolutely terrified of heights; so I was somewhat apprehensive about all of this. "There's a, uhm, giant and if I recall a hen that lays golden eggs."

"Let me guess, this 'Jack' fellow tries to steal this chicken thing…and then the giant wants to kill him?" I nodded with a defeated look on my face. "These muggle fairy-tales are all rather predictable."

"Not all of them are like this, in this case though, the broom cupboard does seem to have created a theme of sorts; using all of the stories where the characters would want to eat or maim us in one way or another."

Malfoy walked around the perimeter of the beanstalk a few times, crouching down to inspect or getting as close to it as possible. "Hmm…" he murmured absentmindedly. "I don't think this is going to be easy without magic Granger. Although, this vine here seems pretty secure." He tugged lightly at the two inch thick vine that wound its way up and around the stalk. I swallowed nervously; my mouth had suddenly gone very dry. "I guess we could use the vines to pull us up, section by section, or perhaps we could let our feet follow the spiral path around the stalk."

He was looking at me again with that expectant look; eyes fixed on me, slight quirk of a pale eyebrow, like I was suddenly going to have an epiphany about our route. "Oh, uhm whichever you prefer." I watched him carefully now, as he first placed a hand up as high as he could comfortably reach, gripping tightly to part of the vine and then he put a foot down on to a lower part, pulling himself up until only the vine was supporting his weight.

I tensed in anticipation and worry when he bounced up and down a few times; obviously checking for stability and weaknesses. Satisfied he repeated the process, pulling himself up bit by bit. He expected me to be able to do that? The way I was feeling right now; we'd be lucky if I didn't throw up.

When he was approximately ten feet off the ground, he paused and turned to obviously check on my progress. "You alright…hang on a second; you still appear to be on the ground Granger. I know you're still a little bit injured, but it's pretty much healed since yesterday, so man up and get your arse up here now."

I couldn't help but bite my lip again as I looked up at the ridiculously tall plant in front of me. Malfoy was right; and unfortunately, I didn't really have much of a choice, unless I wanted to be stuck in this wandless bubble forever.

Screwing my eyes shut and taking a deep breath, I slowly regained my composure. I reached out a hand, taking hold of the vine and dug my fingers into it as much as I could. It was surprisingly soft, covered by a layer of what felt like peach fuzz. But damn it all; Malfoy had been right again; it could no doubt easily support our weight, which still didn't make the prospect any less daunting.

Mentally screaming in protest, I used my hand on the vine to pull myself up and repeated the process. Telling myself to put one foot up, then one arm and repeat, trying to support the majority of my weight on my uninjured leg, which is practically impossible when effectively, you're simply climbing a ladder.

Time was going incredibly slowly as we climbed; with me refusing to look anywhere but directly up for the next bit of vine. I could feel my heartbeat throbbing inside my head, and I was literally shaking with the effort of climbing, pain and nerves. I had to stop, it was no good, and the more I thought about the drop beneath me; the more I began to panic.

Shakily, I moved my hands, wrapping them around the beanstalk, hugging it as tightly as I could. Malfoy's voice broke through my internal monologue of swear words. "Granger, why have you stopped?"

"Uhm how…how high are w…we?"

"I'm not quite sure; we passed through the forest's canopy quite a long time ago. Probably over a hundred and fifty feet though."

"Oh god…" I mumbled, closing my eyes even more tightly. I heard him climbing back down the stalk towards me.

"You know, for someone who survived camping with Pothead and the Weasel and an entire War, you're a bit of a fucking wimp."

"Shut up," I growled. "Just, eughh, I don't know, let me concentrate, please."

"If you opened your eyes, it would probably be a lot easier."

"Not a chance in hell Malfoy; I know for a fact that it would make it much, much worse."

"Just trust me for once in your life Hermione; you might actually like what you see."

"If it's you, then I really don't think so mister." I absolutely didn't need the handsome blond antagonising me, when in all honesty I could start having a panic attack at any moment.

"Har de har Granger, tell me why I decided to be your friend again?"

I giggled nervously, cracking one eye open to look up at him. "Who said we were friends?"

He simply rolled his eyes at me, moving carefully as he inched his way back down. He stopped and moved around the stalk until he was practically next to me. The blond removed a hand from the vines, still managing to exude the air of masculinity and confidence as he held on precariously with only one hand, and gripped my shoulder. I groaned with fear again as his fingers dug into my skin. He was only moving me body minutely, but it still felt like I could fall off at any moment.

"I doubt it can be much further…"

"I…I'm not a wimp Malfoy…" I mumbled. "I'm just not very good with heights, that's all."

"Come along then, just pretend we're nearly there." He released my shoulder, looking at me over his shoulder as he began the ascent again. "Seriously though, open your eyes. We're nearly at the clouds, it's quite spectacular."

Begrudgingly I opened my eyes further and tilted my head just enough no look up. It was true, we were very close to the low lying cloud layer. It was fairly bizarre to look at, as the clouds were localised to one area; the beanstalk. It was surrounded by a twenty foot circle of wispy clouds, stained with light pinks and purples. The sky on the other side of the barrier was a vibrant blue colour, with no clouds in sight.

Sighing, I loosened my hold on the stalk, and carefully brought my hands back to hold the vine instead, finally resuming the tortuous climb. I was hoping with everything I had that once we finally clambered through these clouds, that we wouldn't have to go any further.

For the final leg of our journey Malfoy remained close, climbing beside me; encouraging me; and so after another fifteen minutes or so, we broke through the clouds together. With a final heave, Malfoy pulled me with him over a ledge and onto some grass. I collapsed next to him, my heart rate finally slowing to a normal rate.

Everything around us seemed to be washed in pale pastel colours; the sky, the trees. The road beside us was cobbled, and wound its way uphill to a ginormous looking cottage in the distance.

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><p><strong>So was that actually any good? I know it's been a couple of chapters since an actual fairy-tale, but definitely in the next one, ok guys, bare with me.<strong>

**Thanks for reading...and reviewing (hint hint) :-D**

**Gemsibob**


	10. Chapter 10

**Had a bit of a mental block trying to write this chapter, so sorry for the slight delay. Thank again for all the reviews, they honestly do mean a lot, especially when I can hear how much you're enjoying this. :-)**

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><p>Ten<p>

There were no other people or buildings around. Just that one enormous…cottage. There wasn't anything else I could call it, with the thatched roof and gable windows it almost looked welcoming. Almost being the operative word when I remembered what lay within.

I absently played with a thread on my sleeve as the residual fear and adrenalin from a nearly two hour climb ebbed away. Malfoy had sat himself next to me, but we didn't talk. I think he was just allowing me time to regain my composure. I re-strapped my ankle instead; it no longer hurt so it was more for something to do with my hands than actual necessity.

After ten minutes or so I stood up, brushing dirt from my school robes and held out a hand to my blond companion. "I think I'm ready to go now." He stared up at my hand for a moment before taking it with a cheeky grin on his face. As he righted himself, he gripped my hand harder and tugged on it, pulling me against his solid chest and holding me tight.

My nerves were still a little frayed from before and I wanted space, this was not helping me in the slightest. "I always knew you couldn't resist me Granger." He whispered in my ear, his hot breath sending a shiver down my spine. I got stuck for a moment, mesmerised by his mercurial eyes, but eventually I managed to push on his chest, forcing him to finally release me.

"You wish Malfoy." I huffed. He laughed happily, relishing in my irked attitude. I stumbled away from him; his close proximity was doing funny things to my head. "Please shut up." I practically shouted.

His smile fell. "What's wrong; I was only joking?"

I shook my head sadly. "No you weren't, not really." He raised an eyebrow but remained silent as he looked at me with an unreadable expression. "You can't suddenly like me…this way," I gestured between the two of us "I'm probably just some sort of distraction because there isn't anyone else here." He still didn't say anything, which proved my point. He wasn't even going to deny it.

I know that we had shared some wonderful kisses and all, but were we really anything more than friends; if that even? I had to tell myself to nip any feelings in the bud, now before they got out of hand and I was inevitably rejected. That was easier said than done as he continued to observe me carefully. He was just so ridiculously attractive.

Eventually I managed to drop my gaze, regaining some of my senses. With a defeated sigh, I stepped forward onto the dusty path. "Are you coming Malfoy?" He was still standing in the same spot, brows and nose crinkled in confusion. I almost laughed. Somehow, I Hermione Granger had managed to make the illustrious Draco Malfoy speechless.

His eyes finally flickered back in my direction and a slow smirk spread across his face. "After you then Granger." His mood had shifted from confused back to normal so fast that I found myself watching him carefully; he hadn't said anything about my little outburst. Looking at me, he simply shrugged his shoulders and followed me onto the path.

The silence was stifling as we walked; simply pushing him away had once more made the atmosphere tense and awkward. With slumped shoulders I continued to trudge forward. The proportions of the cottage became clearer with each step. By the time we had made it to the white picket fence, the scale of it all was unbelievable; even Hagrid would have seemed small in comparison. The daisies were as big as my hand.

"It's definitely a giant that lives here then." He said, sounding surprised.

"Did you not believe me when I told you that it was?"

"What's got your knickers in a twist today? Anyway, why should I believe anything you say," he paused, "or do?"

"What do you mean?"

He folded his arms across his chest, looking at me again as his eyes slid ever so slightly towards my mouth and back again. "Nothing, don't worry your frizzy little head about it." So we were back to petty insults again and I had no real idea as to why.

Casually, he strolled past me, continuing up the short stone walkway to the door. I was in awe as I craned my neck to look up at it. It was solid wood and had to be at least thirty feet high.

Malfoy was searching around the bottom of the door when I looked back down. "Uhm, what are you doing?"

"Finding us as way in, as you appear to be doing nothing." He turned slowly to show me a gap in the wood with a triumphant smirk. "Are you scared Granger?" He was still smirking at me.

I huffed indignantly, not even bothering to answer his question as I pushed past him and contorted myself through the narrow gap. It was a tight squeeze and Malfoy stumbled a little when he emerged after me.

"Wow, I'm amazed that you managed to get through with all of that hair of yours."

"I'm more surprised that your inflated head allowed you to fit through to be honest."

"Childish much?" He stated, rolling his eyes.

"If I remember correctly Malfoy, it was you who started it." I really was being childish wasn't I?

He shook his head and turned away from me. "Wow."

Wow indeed; the room we were currently in was colossal. It was richly furnished and had an undeniable air of splendour. The most outstanding feature however was the gold. Everything was gold, from the walls to the furniture; pure gold which gleamed lazily in the dancing candlelight.

The furniture itself was bigger than anything I'd seen before, towering a good fifteen to twenty feet from the floor and was covered in rich velvet cushions and throws. "Now this is my kind of place." Malfoy said, also looking a little awestruck.

"Of course it is; filled with all the pomp and circumstance a Malfoy could ever require." I mumbled bitterly.

He whirled around to face me, anger plain across his face. "Shut up Granger; just because I was brought up with expensive tastes doesn't mean I can't also enjoy things of a more…simple nature." He was looking pointedly at me as he finished his tirade with a somewhat hurt expression that I'd never seen before.

"What are you talking about?" I whispered. Could he really be saying that I was something of a simple nature that he could enjoy? If it hadn't sounded sweet as he said it, I would have almost been insulted at the thought of being 'simple'.

He looked at me for a moment before rubbing his eyes tiredly with the heel of his hands. "It doesn't matter Granger; just leave it alone and help me find…whatever it is we're supposed to be doing here."

We split up, each taking half of the room; there wasn't anything useful here, so if and when a giant decided to make an appearance, then I wasn't sure what we would do.

"Granger?"

I looked around, trying to locate him. "Where are you?"

"Look up more, I'm on the table." So he was; standing atop a solid gold table which had to be at least fifteen feet tall. "How tall do you suppose this giant is?"

"Well in our world, they're generally anywhere from twenty to twenty five feet. Don't you remember them from the battle at Hogwarts?" He nodded. "Judging from the furniture, this one is probably about the same height." He bobbed his head thoughtfully as I wondered how exactly we were meant to escape something that big. "Why did you call me?"

"Oh, I've found some food up here if you're interested."

"Are you actually going to share it willingly with me this time?"

He scowled down at me. "For that, you have to come up and get it yourself."

"I can't climb up there. Don't you think that the beanstalk was enough torture for one day?" I asked, trying to convince myself that something much worse wasn't going to happen all too soon.

"Your loss Granger." How could one person be so annoying? I glared up at the git, hands on hips. He only shrugged and walked out of sight. "Hey, there's something else up here as well, it looks like a goose."

"That'll be the goose that lays the golden eggs."

"I thought you said it was a chicken?"

"Well…it's still a bloody bird isn't it?"

"Merlin, little-miss-know-it-all got something wrong. I never thought I'd see the day." He chuckled.

"Yes, well there's no need to go on about it is there."

"You're always telling me that I'm wrong, just thought I'd return the favour."

"That's because you generally _are_ wrong Malfoy." I was getting annoyed again. Why did he feel the need to start fights with me, it was always a case of one-upmanship with him.

"No I'm not; you just can't admit that like every other person you're sometimes wrong. You don't always have to be right Granger." He sounded frustrated.

"When else have I been wrong?" I asked.

"Apart from the wolf in the last place not being dangerous? You're forgetting how much of an open book you are." His voice was getting louder with each sentence as he got more and more angry. "You can spout off about me using you as a 'distraction' all you want, but I see the way your pupils dilate and how you become nervous around me, I can see what you're feeling, and yet you manage to _completely _miss the same reactions within me. Think what you will about me Granger, but just know that you're definitely wrong."

Why did he have to change the subject? "Wh…what are you going on about Malfoy?" I couldn't bear to look up at him this time.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Hermione…" I involuntarily stiffened at the use of my first name. "So don't even try to deny it."

He was still glaring down at me, breathing heavily when we heard the first footsteps. They were incredibly loud as they thundered through the house. I looked up at him panic; we had to get out of here.

"Granger, go and find somewhere to hide; now."

"But…"

He talked over me. "Go, I'll find somewhere up here, don't worry."

I ran across the room towards the nearest wall. Looking around wildly I realised there were very few places to go. Nothing I could hide in, or gaps I could sneak through. Eventually I spotted a sideboard. It wasn't flush to the wall, and there was a narrow gap, it was tight, but I managed to wriggle my way in.

Malfoy was right, I had been wrong to try and deny what I was feeling; what we were both feeling apparently, and as much as he had annoyed the hell out of me today, I really hoped he would find a hiding place in time. These thoughts however didn't distract me from the fact that it was probably his shouting that had alerted the bloody giant to our presence in the first place.

"Fee, fi, fo, fum; I smell the blood of an Englishman, be he live or be him dead; I'll grind his bones to make my bread."

The voice was loud, reverberating painfully in my chest as the door swung open to reveal the giant.

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><p><strong>Lemme know what you all thought.<strong>

**Gemsibob**


	11. Chapter 11

**As always, thank you for your comments and reviews, they do mean a lot. :-)**

**AN - This pretty much all belongs to Ms Rowling, and that's definitely not me.**

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><p>Eleven<p>

In stomped the giant; he towered at least twenty feet from the ground with thick, stocky legs and a large protruding belly, which hung obscenely over the waistband of his tattered trousers. Its black hair was long and rather unkempt; the knotted mass swinging wildly whenever it moved. The eyes too looked black, resembling small beetles sunk into his skull.

"Where be ya hiding; I can smell ya." He licked his lips voraciously as he up turned cups and searched under tables. The smell as he walked past my hiding spot was revolting; it nearly made me gag. For someone who lived in such a lavish home, he certainly had incredibly poor hygiene; although to his credit, he could string a sentence together better than your average giant.

He huffed out a large breath, generally looking bemused as he sniffed the air, but continuously failed to locate us. He must have eventually decided that we were a figment of his imagination, because with a sharp shove at the goose's cage he stormed through the front door. The bird was left honking raucously in his wake and I had to agree somewhat with Malfoy when he told it to 'shut the fuck up'.

I wriggled out from my hiding spot in time to see Malfoy releasing the goose from its ornate looking cage before lowering himself over the edge of the table. Even from my low vantage point I could see the muscles in his back and arms working to hold on. For someone so skinny he was rather strong.

A shocked scream raced up my throat when he let go and I watched him drop down onto the chair cushion below. His smirking face soon appeared from over the top of said cushion. "What if you had missed?" I chastised; hands on hips.

"It's a big enough target Granger; making it pretty much impossible to miss." He replied, shifting around so he could climb down the lattice work in the chair legs.

"What about the goose?"

"What about it?" He looked at me confused, his forehead crinkled.

"I think that we'll probably have to 'steal' it; you know like in all of the other stories where we have to follow the intended storyline before we can make our escape."

Realisation dawned. "Bollocks! Oi, goosey; come on, come here." The bird looked at us over the edge of the table; moving its head from side to side as it observed us curiously. We were both attempting to beckon it towards us, waving our arms at it. It took some coaxing, but eventually it flapped its wings and soared down towards us at an alarming speed.

I flinched as it got near, but it landed on the floor smoothly, looking up at the both of us with almost grateful eyes as it honked again in greeting. "I think it likes you Malfoy." I laughed. The goose had moved straight to Malfoy's side, nipping at his fingers affectionately. He glared over at me and then down at the bird, ripping his fingers away from its beak.

Grabbing it around the body, he yanked it up into his arms and walked with as much of a swagger as he could carrying the rather ungainly extra weight. "Time to go, I've had enough of this shit now thank you very much."

I shook my head at the blond but followed him nonetheless. The front door was ajar; the giant hadn't bothered to close it after it had left. But that did of course mean that he was lurking somewhere outside; where we were about to go. Brilliant.

I edged out of the door, strolling past Malfoy and looking around wildly for any sign of the giant. The coast was clear. Releasing the bird, we both watched in awe as it laid a single, perfectly gold egg before taking flight and soaring away into the distance, still making a lot of noise.

Malfoy bent down to retrieve it with a look of admiration on his face. "It's literally flawless." He remarked, turning it over in his hands for a moment. "Solid, smooth and…shiny." I laughed; he was admiring himself in the golden egg, typical. "Shame we can't take it with us."

The ground vibrated slightly. "Get ready to run Granger. Bloody noisy bird."

"I can't run all that way." I protested

"You'll have to; I'm not going to get trampled by a giant because you can't run a short distance." Short distance my arse; it was at least a mile. Smiling sardonically, he grabbed my hand and set off at a fast walk. We were trying to put as much distance between us and the house before we really had to start running.

"Fee, fi, fo, fum; I smell the blood of an Englishman."

"Has he got no other lines?" Malfoy asked disdainfully as he picked up speed, dragging me along behind him. It wasn't long before I heard, and felt the thundering footsteps behind us again. I made the mistake of looking back whilst running forward and nearly tripped over my own feet. "Are you incapable of running in a straight path?" He panted out, yanking on my arm in an effort to keep me upright.

The glimpse over my shoulder did show me that the giant was closing in on us. It's much larger stride allowing it to catch us up quickly, albeit with a much more lumbering gait. I shook my hand free of Malfoy's, needing it to get my own momentum. I had a stitch building up under my ribs, my legs were burning in protest at the distance, and I was finding it increasingly difficult to fill my lungs with oxygen, but we were close to the beanstalk, I was relieved to see. I wasn't quite sure how I would manage to climb back down, but I guess the fear of being captured by a giant outweighed my fear of heights at the moment.

"When I say 'jump' Granger…" he glanced at me over his shoulder. "I mean, fucking jump, and grab onto the first vine you can." I nodded as best I could. We were nearly there. "On the count of three. One…" Ten feet away. "Two…" Five feet away. "Three…" One foot away. "Jump." He yelled.

I leapt with all I could, Malfoy beside me. We dropped like stones, down towards the beanstalk. I hit it hard, and my hands had difficulty grabbing anything as I fell through the air. Everything was rushing past me too fast; I was literally terrified. I couldn't grab anything. I briefly caught a glimpse of Malfoy managing to secure himself to the beanstalk a few a feet ago, and I could hear his voice bellowing after me.

With sheer determination I eventually managed to wrap my fingers around a piece of the vine. It was slightly thinner in this part, and so my fingers could more easily grab a hold, my feet seemingly digging into the stalk of their own accord.

I was shaking violently, and could feel the blood bubbling through my veins as I barely managed to maintain my precarious position. "Granger?" His voice was nervous, and I could hear him lowering himself towards me. "Fucking hell Hermione, at least make some sort of noise."

"M'alright." I mumbled into my arm.

He touched my back gently. "At least you're not free falling anymore."

"Hmm, don't remind me." I felt, rather than saw the rush of air preceding the falling giant. It had obviously leapt after us once it came to the beanstalk, but didn't have the inclination to grab onto it.

Its heavy body hit the ground hard, with a dull thud which reverberated up through the sinewy stalk towards us. Once it ceased though, the enchantment broke with it, causing the beanstalk to vanish, and we were once more plummeting towards Earth.

Swear words were all I could think of as we fell again, more quickly than before and now with absolutely nothing to slow us down.

The ground was approaching far too quickly, when I felt my closed fist squeeze something hard. I looked at my hand as best I could, and found my wand. The barrier at the base of the beanstalk must have disintegrated as well.

We were only a matter of a few feet from the ground as I shouted "Aresto Momentum." We jerked to a stop about five inches from the ground, hovered for a moment and then dropped onto our stomachs.

"Umphff." We groaned in unison. I rolled onto my back, throwing an arm over my eyes as I willed my erratic breathing to calm.

"What was that spell?"

"Aresto Momentum; it slows down or stops the movement of objects." I replied absently.

"Obviously Granger, but where did you learn it?"

Why was he going on about it, I was trying to calm down and he was wittering on about spell usage. "Don't start Malfoy; and for your information we learnt it in Charms in second year. Shows how much attention you pay."

"I wasn't 'starting' as you so eloquently put it, and for your information, I did know that spell, we use it all the time in Quidditch, makes Bludgers easier to catch. I was simply taking your mind off of the utterly terrifying situation we were just in...so there." All he needed to do was poke his tongue out and we could have reverted back to being ten year olds; and he thought I was childish.

I laughed. "Oh, yes well that makes sense I suppose."

I turned my head to look at him, he was lying beside me in the same position, and as we caught each other's eyes we both burst out laughing. Our situation was becoming more bizarre by the day; what with sadistic old women; blood thirsty wolves and giants after their pound of flesh, who knew what we would be subjected to next.

"It was horrible wasn't it? But I suppose the wolf trying to tear me to bits was probably worse."

"I guess you're right there; that was almost tame compared to the wolf. Thanks for stopping us ploughing into the ground Granger. It would have ruined my looks somewhat."

"You wouldn't have any looks to ruin though, because you'd probably be dead. Therefore, if I'm correct here, then I've saved your arse _twice_ now." I crowed proudly, resisting the urge to mock him further.

He sat up, leaning over me with a calculating look on his face. "Although that may technically be right, I think this one should be a draw, we both aided each other; wouldn't you agree Hermione?"

"Saying my name won't make me agree with you…"

"Are you sure about that _Hermione_? What about this?" He leant closer, just brushing his lips against mine for a moment.

I opened my eyes; his close proximity had made them shut of their own accord apparently, and he could be very persuasive with those lips. "So you like me as well then?" I asked shyly.

"As well? Oh, so you're finally admitting it are you? In answer to your question though…" he leant down to kiss me again, this time moving his lips against mine until I responded in kind, a hand coming up to rest on his neck.

"Okay, I believe you this time, and I suppose we could call this one a draw." He sat up, flashing me a breath taking grin.

"Good, I'm glad you concur."

After another few minutes of relaxation, I sat up. My stomach was clenching somewhat painfully, reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything since dinner at fake grans over two nights ago. I must've unconsciously moaned at the thought though as Malfoy was suddenly on his knees in front of me again; his hands fluttering uselessly over my arms. "What's wrong, did you hurt yourself?"

"Since when did you, of all people fuss over another person's wellbeing?" I asked, genuinely curious.

He rolled his eyes. "I am capable of caring for people besides myself Granger; even if it is only the bushy haired bookworm types. So you are alright then?"

"Yes I'm fine Draco, starving, but fine." He pulled a face, suddenly unable to look at me. "What? What was that face for?"

"Uhm, I may have eaten when we were in the giant's house?"

"And let me guess; it didn't even occur to you to bring me something as well?" I asked waspishly.

"I invited you up to the table as well didn't I? Anyway, I was still angry with you after our argument."

"You better hope that there's food in the next place Malfoy, or I may well die of starvation thanks to you." I huffed, turning my back to him.

"You're being all dramatic again Granger." I didn't answer; until his hand appeared in front of my face. It was holding a huge chunk of bread.

I spun back around so fast I almost gave myself whiplash. "And where may I ask were you hiding that?" I asked, relieving him of the food and taking a massive bite. It was like a bite of heaven.

"In my pocket." I paused mid-chew, inspecting the bread. There was no fluff, which at this moment was good enough for me. I finished it quickly, sighing with contentment as the hunger spasms ceased. "Were you hungry by any chance?"

"Just a bit, and you know full well that I was." I felt a lot better; less lethargic and like I might actually have some energy again, it would beat running on pure adrenalin anyway.

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><p><strong>No fairy-tale in the next part...I don't think. But lemme know what you all thought :-D<strong>

**Gemsibob**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for the slight delay, lets just say that migraines aren't the most conducive things for story writing.**

**AN - Everything bar the plot belongs to JK Rowling**

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><p>Twelve<p>

We walked side by side in the bright winter sunlight, both feeling much more amiable now that we'd eaten and gotten over our little…disagreement. It hadn't really struck me until now how quiet it was here, and I realised that the only times we actually encountered life was after we had been immersed inside a fairy-tale. There wasn't even any birdsong; the only audible sounds were our footsteps and the occasional whisper of a breeze through the tall canopy of the trees.

"I'm bloody knackered, so the next one had better be a bit calmer. Is there such a thing as a nice and calm muggle fairy-tale?" He looked at me questioningly from the corner of his eye.

I laughed. "To be honest I've never really put much thought into it, but now that I _do_ think about it, the majority of our fairy-tales seem to be pretty violent. But I guess there are also a fair few 'romantic' ones as well."

"Romantic eh; they sound a lot more appealing to me at the moment." He nudged me with his elbow, giving me a cheeky little wink. I could only shake my head at the cocky git beside me. "Do you have a favourite story?" He was actually making conversation, whatever next?

"Uhm, well I guess I've always quite liked 'The Princess and the Pea'."

He scoffed loudly. "Frankly, that sounds bloody awful. Does she keep it as a pet or something?"

"Do you actually want to know?"

"Well there's not much else to do around here, so go ahead, tell me the bloody story."

I conceded his point; it was just us and the trees. "Basically, it's about a Prince who's having difficulty finding a wife; he can only marry a Princess…"

"Of course he can, it's one of those bloody archaic principles that Purebloods fucking used to love as well." I stopped walking to look sternly at him. He gestured with an upturned hand for me to continue.

"Anyway, on a stormy night a beautiful young girl turns up at his castle seeking shelter; she claims to also be a Princess."

"Ooh, now there's a surprise."

"Fine, I'm not going to tell it to you if you're going to interrupt with your sarcastic comments all the time."

He chuckled, slinging an arm over my shoulders. "Sorry, do continue, I'm positively riveted."

"So to test her claim, they place a single pea beneath a steadily increasing number of mattresses; apparently only a Princess could have the sensitivity to feel a pea through all of that bedding. It makes me think of you actually. Anyway, the fall in love, get married and live happily ever after." I laughed at the expression of mock outrage on his face.

"I'm not that sensitive." He pouted. "By the way, that was an awful story; what the hell was the point of it?"

"Well…I think that her sensitivity shows the Princess' depth of feeling and compassion; showing her to be the only one for the Prince."

"Bollocks, she's just a crappy guest who can't appreciate what she's been given."

He actually made a fair point, not that I would tell him that, but I still preferred my own thoughts. "Each to their own opinion then I suppose." He inclined his head, obviously agreeing with me.

"I can't wait to sleep in my bed; a proper bed…" A moan of longing rose up my throat at the mere thought of the large, comfortable bed awaiting my return. "You're more than welcome to join me as well, of course Granger."

I tried to cover the small smile that graced my lips at his words, but failed when he smiled back beatifically. "Well, as lovely as a proper bed sounds; the first thing I'm going to do is take a really long, hot bath…"

"In which _I'm_ more than willing to join _you_." He pulled me close to press a swift kiss to the top of my head whilst I blushed into his chest. "Hang on a sec." He stopped walking, squinting into the bright sunlight. "Can you see that?"

I looked over where his arm was pointing. Glittering faintly in the distance was what appeared to be another barrier. I walked closer, pulling Malfoy along behind me. The barrier seemed to cover the largest area so far; in fact, we could only see one edge of it as it disappeared to each side. There wasn't even a house visible yet.

"Shall we?"

Sighing tiredly, I stepped across the barrier, barely noticing the heat and tingle of magic as my wand vanished and I became essentially defenceless once again.

An arrow flew straight past my ear, followed by another in rapid succession, missing me by barely an inch before burrowing into the ground behind me. I had to jump to the side to avoid the next one. "What the hell…" Malfoy appeared beside me, having come through the barrier just in time to see me dive sideways. He moved to stand in front of me, brandishing a large shield and a sword. "Where'd they come from?"

I winced as yet another arrow was deflected by the shield. "Obviously, I am now in character; and for once, I quite like it." He admired his sword as it glinted in the light before turning his gaze to me. "You look…different."

"Different how?"

Again, an arrow bounced off of Malfoy's shield, landing in the ground beside us. "I am sorry M'lady, but I have been sent to kill you." I spun around so fast at the deep voice that it almost made me dizzy.

"Wh…who are you?" I stammered, unsure why someone would announce such an intention so openly. Stood behind us a few yards was a tall, burly man; in his hand was a bow and arrow, secured in his belt was a menacing looking knife.

"The Queen has sent me; it is her wish, I have no choice. But to kill someone so beautiful…it would be a travesty."

"Uh, you'll be doing no such thing mate." Said the blond man beside me. The other man's eyes moved over Malfoy briefly, his hand hovering over the knife in his belt before moving to look back at me.

He came closer, sidling around Malfoy as if he didn't exist. The stranger stared into my eyes intently before he took my hand and kissed it, I hadn't even had chance to think about running from him. I glanced at Malfoy who looked about ready to throttle this stranger, but he was obscured from view as the man leant close to whisper in my ear.

"Princess, it would be a tragedy to waste something so pure, so stunning." He was still surveying me carefully, an almost predatory look in his dark eyes. "Alas, I cannot do it. Run Princess; run far away from here. I shall trick the Queen, tell her I completed the task and instead find a boars heart." He pulled away, still holding my hand. "Yes, that should suffice. But you must run, now, don't waste a moment."

Releasing my hand, he took a deep bow, and with a courteous nod of the head ran off into the trees.

"Who the fuck was that?" Malfoy all but shouted.

"I have no idea." I was still staring after the man. For once I didn't actually know what fairy-tale we had been transported in to. "I'm not even sure who I'm meant to be, but apparently I'm a Princess." I looked down; I was wearing a long blue and gold velvet gown. The bodice was a deep midnight blue and cinched my waist in. There were puff sleeves and a long gold skirt.

"You're certainly even paler than me for once." He was watching me, his head tilted to the side.

"What…" An idea popped into my head. Skin as pale as the new snow, beautiful and a Princess. "Give me your sword."

"What? Why, what are you going to do?" He asked, suddenly wary.

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed the sword, pulling it up until I could see my reflection. I almost dropped it at what I saw. "No; bloody hell Draco, I look like Pansy." My long chestnut curls were gone, and in their place was a short bob of black hair. It was enough to make me nauseous.

"No you don't; you look infinitely more beautiful than Pansy, and thankfully you don't have that horrible pug-like look about you."

Infinitely more beautiful eh? "As sweet as that was, I think I've figured out who I am, but if I'm correct, then you character shouldn't come in until later."

Are you going to tell me who we are then?"

"I believe that I'm 'Snow White', and that you're effectively my knight in shining armour, my saviour, whatever you want to call it."

He burst out laughing. "Ha, it'll be another 'save' to me then."

"It's not a competition." I pouted.

"Yeah right, like you haven't been counting as well." He looked at me with a quirked eyebrow.

"Alright, I might have been, but you may recall that we're currently even at one and a half saves each."

"In that case, this'll be an easy win for me." He laughed again at the pout on my face. "You know, I think I may have preferred your 'Little Red Riding Hood' look. The hair this time is a touch too Pansy-esque for my liking as well. You still look good though." He added quickly at my disapproving look before slinging an arm across my shoulders. "Which way shall we go Princess?"

The trees in front of us were parted into two distinct paths. They looked identical, winding off left and right in perfectly symmetrical twists and turns. Looking between them, I finally spotted a single bluebird sitting on a branch along the left hand path. If I truly was Snow White then that could only be a good sign, right? "Uh, this way, I think."

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><p>I was feeling drained again, this not so little adventure that we'd been sent on was really taking it out of me, and as we walked, I found myself leaning into Draco's side more and more until I eventually gave in and wrapped an arm around his waist…purely for support, obviously. He leant his head against mine. It felt nice to finally be giving into my feelings.<p>

"I didn't say anything earlier, but you look rather dapper yourself Draco." He truly did, in a cream turtleneck shirt, blue and gold tabard and tight fitting trousers tucked into knee high riding boots, all topped off with a rich burgundy cloak; he was the epitome of a Prince Charming. "If I was a lesser woman I'd be swooning in your arms right now."

He leant close to my ear, his breath tickling the fine hairs of my neck. "Swoon away Princess, I'll catch you." He pulled his face away, instead pulling me even closer to his firm body.

"Hmm…" I mumbled into his chest, his steady heartbeat sending me to sleep.

"Whoa, Granger wake up." Opening my now bleary eyes, I saw that we'd finally come across a house. There were a few people outside tending to a vegetable patch. They looked familiar.

"Are those Elves?" Malfoy asked, squinting at the scene before us. They were certainly small enough to be House Elves; not quite the Dwarves I'd been expecting. As we watched, one of them turned around, he had large pointy ears and perched on his head between them, was a small knitted hat.

The Elf smiled broadly as we approached. "Can I help the Master and Miss?" His big blue eyes looked intently at us.

"Dobby?"

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><p><strong>I lied, there was a bit of fairy-tale in this chapter. I'll try not to take so long between the next update, but I can't promise anything. :-)<strong>

**As always, I would appreciate any reviews or feedback from you lovely, lovely people.**

**Gemsibob**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry...a whole month! Let's just say that real life sucks.**

**Thank you so much for the reviews, you've taken me over 100 for the first time ever, which I am ridiculously happy about :-D**

**AN - I own nothing but the plot, no, everything else belongs to Ms Rowling; of whom I am completely jealous.**

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><p>Thirteen<p>

The Elf turned around, smiling in that way that only Dobby ever could. "Yes Miss, how can Dobby help you?" He bobbed his head happily as he looked between us.

Draco looked at me out of the corner of his eye as I replied. "Uhm, well would it be possible to…maybe spend the night here?" I asked hesitantly.

"Dobby would be very happy to help the Master and Miss. Please follow me." He walked forward quickly, beckoning all the while for us to follow him.

"Granger, why is my childhood house Elf here?" Malfoy whispered.

"I…I'm not sure. In this story these characters are actually Dwarves, not Elves." This was slightly odd to say the least.

"They?"

"Yes, there should be seven of them." He looked worried for a fleeting moment. "So be nice, alright. You can't order them around here like you do at home."

Incredulity flashed across his face briefly, before he caught my eye and held his hands up in surrender. "Fine, I'll try to behave; if only because you'd probably castrate me if I didn't; and believe me, _neither_ of us wants that to happen." He winked at me as I tried to not look affected by his comment.

We followed Dobby into the surprisingly large house considering the size of its inhabitants. The top of Malfoy's head brushed the ceiling, and I laughed; it was almost a complete reverse of our last encounter. "What are you laughing at?"

"Apart from the look on your face you mean?" He quirked an eyebrow. "It just seems funny that it is essentially our turn to be the giants."

"Yes, that's hilarious Granger." He drawled, which only made me laugh more.

"Disgusting, standing there for all to see, and laughing. Nasty habit." I looked around and saw another Elf. It was looking condescendingly at me from behind a cupboard door.

"Kreacher?" I gasped.

"It knows my name…disgusting." Kreacher slammed the cupboard shut, and edged his way around me and towards the front door. He never once took his heavy lidded eyes off of me.

"I can't promise to be nice to that one. Grumpy bastard." Malfoy growled.

He'd hit the nail on the head with that observation. Except the 'Grumpy' of this version seemed a hell of a lot more malicious and prejudiced than in the actual fairy-tale, I'd have to keep my eye on him.

Dobby led us up a narrow staircase into the roof, where a large room opened up that covered the entire length and breadth of the house. A row of Elf sized beds lined one wall with names carved into the bedposts. I spotted a few names that I recognised, as well as some more that I didn't. There was Dobby, Kreacher and Winky, then names like Moffatt, Tilly, Gentry and Lander.

Against the opposite wall was a large window, with two makeshift beds already made up beneath it. "Were you expecting us or something?" Malfoy asked.

"Oh no Sir, but we like to be prepared." He smiled at us, his large eyes full of happiness and contentment. It really made me miss the real Dobby. With a short little bow, he left us alone in the room feeling somewhat bemused by the whole situation.

"What the fuck is this story about Granger?" Malfoy grumbled, throwing himself down onto one of the mattresses. He looked about as exhausted as I felt when he lay back against the fluffy pillows.

Hiking up the skirt of my gown, I sat down next to him, and began to absently fiddle with the hem of his tabard. "Well, we've already established that I'm a Princess, and that the Queen, who I believe is my Step-Mother; wants me dead, because I am more beautiful than her." I didn't want to mention that fact that he would have to kiss me, because knowing him he would only gloat endlessly. No, it was probably best I left that part out.

I yawned, not even bothering to cover my mouth; instead I shuffled further down the mattress until I could lie down next to him. "Anyway, the Queen transforms herself into an old woman to trick my character…" There was a soft snore which interrupted my story telling. Malfoy had fallen asleep.

As I looked at him, I couldn't help running my fingers through his hair. He looked so peaceful lying there; so good looking dressed as my very own Prince Charming…maybe charming wasn't the word, although I was in no doubt that he had very effectively 'charmed' a number of people. Prince Smarmy perhaps was more suitable.

Another yawn escaped my mouth as I rested my head on his chest, allowing his heartbeat to lull me to sleep.

When I woke up, it was to Malfoy playing with my hair. "I think I prefer it bushy." He said, when he realised I was awake.

"You have mocked me about my hair endlessly since I was eleven years old."

"Yeah I know, but now I miss it. This…is somehow wrong." He pulled a few strands of my poker straight, black hair.

I rolled my eyes. "There's not a lot I can really do about it right now through, is there?"

"Excuse me Miss…" I sat upright, a little startled by Dobby's voice. He looked at me uncertainly for a moment before continuing. "There's someone at the door for you."

This was happening awfully quickly. Surely I would just have to refuse the old woman's apples. It was easy. Squeezing Malfoy's hand I stood up, making my way quickly down the stairs.

The person waiting outside the front door was not the old woman I was expecting. Instead I saw a kindly older gentleman, who held a simple leather case.

"Are you the lady of the household?" He smiled.

"Well no, not really…"

"A guest then, perhaps?"

"I suppose so, yes." I answered cautiously.

"It's a lovely bodice you have there on that gown Miss." He leered, closing the gap between us with a few quick steps forward. It was beginning to get a little creepy now. I watched his hand move down to his case, popping back into vision seconds later with a long ribbon which matched the gold colour of my gown almost perfectly.

The ribbon was silky and glittered delicately in the ebbing sunlight. I was completely transfixed by it, unable to tear my eyes away. "It's beautiful." I murmured, all coherent thoughts leaking from my mind.

"Here, let me put it on for you." The man turned me around gently, threading the ribbon through the first few eyelets of my bodice.

All the air was forced from my lungs at the same time as my mind suddenly cleared. The old man was gone, and the ribbon was constricting me; tighter and tighter. It had spun around my body of its own accord, tying me up like a shoe as it encased my arms and legs as well.

I flexed my arms against my constraints; there was literally no room to move. I was stuck, quickly running out of breathing space and there was no one around to help me. I tried to shout for help, but the damn material had gagged me. Spots of light began to flick beneath my eyelids, my lungs being burned from lack of oxygen.

My vision was tunnelling inwards when I saw Malfoy's tall figure pause at the bottom of the stairs. "What the fuck?" He shouted as he sprinted across the room. My bound body toppled forward, unable to keep my balance as if I'd been hit with a stunning jinx. I landed in Malfoy's strong arms and felt him lower me to the floor gently.

His fingers tore and worked against the ribbon, but to no avail, they simply wouldn't come lose, intent on constricting me to death. My vision was almost completely black by the time he remembered the big, shiny sword strapped to his belt. "Hang in there Granger; just don't move." I was seconds from unconsciousness; I was hardly likely to be going anywhere.

The sword slid up against my torso underneath my constraints and jerked sideways, tearing through the silky material easily.

Air that had moments before been confined to my lungs came rushing out. This was before I could even contemplate gasping in the necessary air to breathe. I felt light headed, and strangely like a fish out of water as I sucked in all the air I could. Malfoy pulled me close as I fell sideways, lying limp in his arms.

"Why is it always me?" I whispered minutes later, once I'd got my breathing back under control, feeling absolutely horrible as my head slipped further down his shoulder and I allowed my exhaustion to take me again.

This time when I woke up, I was once again on one of the mattresses upstairs in the Elves bedroom. But this time it was to a very stern looking Malfoy. He was sat up, leaning against the wall beside me. His arms wrapped firmly around his knees. "Can you stop now, please?"

"Stop what?" I asked, completely confused.

"Stop scaring the shit out of me by nearly dying." He was being totally serious; it showed in his eyes as he focused resolutely on my face.

"Were you worried about me Malfoy?" I mocked, sitting up next to him.

He looked at me, unbelieving for a moment. "Of course I was you daft bint." I forced myself not to smile, before I pulled him into a huge hug. "I care about you; or are you still in bloody denial Granger?" He said as I pulled away.

"No, I know you do. I care about you too."

"Good." He pulled me closer for a second and cupped my face between his palms. "Then you won't mind if I snog you senseless will you?"

I looked into his swirling grey eyes and merely nodded my consent. He smiled beatifically at me, sweeping a stray strand of hair behind my ear with his long fingers and then leaned in, stopping just shy of my lips. I growled in frustration, only making him chuckle. That's when I grabbed him behind the neck and pulled him forward to close the distance.

Teasingly, he still only brushed his lips against mine, before trailing them along my jaw line and creating a path down my neck. My head fell back seemingly of its own accord as he pulled me against him to ravage my neck and collar bone. "Draco…" I whimpered.

"Sweet fucking Merlin." He whispered back, moving up to press his lips demandingly on my own. It was an intense kiss, our tongues restlessly swiping, teeth nibbling and hands groping. But after the initial burst of action, Draco slowed the pace, languidly twirling his tongue around mine. His arms held me tightly to his body.

We were interrupted by another knock on the door and we pulled apart, both breathing heavily, our faces flushed. "Master?"

"Eughh." Draco groaned into my neck. "What do you want?" he hollered after a few seconds.

Kreacher's disgusted face appeared around the door. "Could Kreacher have a word with the Master…alone?" He was pointedly refusing to look at me.

Sighing with frustration, Draco got to his feet and stomped towards the door. I heard Kreacher retreating down the stairs. Draco's eyes found mine again. "Don't you dare move; I'll be back to resume that in a minute." He winked and walked through the door.

I threw myself back against the pillows. I couldn't help but grin hopelessly to myself. No, there was no denying it now; feelings for the blond git were definitely developing, and they were _way_ passed platonic. My heart was still racing at about a thousand beats a minute from that kiss; he certainly knew how to leave a girl breathless.

A few minutes of grinning at the ceiling later and Draco returned. He carried a basket in one hand, and a bright red, shiny apple in the other. A huge chunk of the apple was gone…oh God.

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><p><strong>I hope that was worth the massive delay, and I already have most of the next chapter done as well, so no more month long gaps :-)<strong>

**As always I would appreciate any reviews you wish to leave me.**

**Thank you all.**

**Gemsibob**


	14. Chapter 14

**Woo, slightly shorter wait this time...and I think I've very nearly finished writing this story, so now I just need to type it up (hopefully).**

**Thank you all yet again for the wonderful reviews, I honestly do appreciate every single one of them.**

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><p>Fourteen<p>

"Draco, what…" His eyes widened almost comically before he looked back down at the apple. What little colour our kissing session had put in his face drained away as a light sheen of perspiration replaced it. I scrambled to my knees.

"Hermio…" He stopped mid-word as he looked at me absolutely terrified for a second before his body dropped to the floor with a thud, convulsed for another second and then became still. A small trickle of white froth escaped his pale lips and I stared, completely stunned. Where the hell was a Bezoar when you needed one?

I stopped, completely motionless on my hands and knees, having got halfway to my feet and across the room before he'd fallen. The realisation of what had just happened took a couple of seconds to filter through my shocked brain and when it finally hit me, I was instantly furious at myself for not telling him this part of the story sooner. Why hadn't I just told him? Because I'd gotten so wrapped up in our little competition that's why…I had wanted to win.

But then another thought hit me; I was being silly, this _was_ Snow White after all, there was a very simple solution to all of this. I just had to kiss him; that was it, and then he'd wake up. I almost laughed at the simplicity. Granted, our situation was slightly reversed from the storyline, but it was still somewhat following the original…right?

Shifting the comatose Draco so that he was lying flat on his back, I looked down at his sickly looking face, and gently wiped away the froth from the corner of his mouth. It was time to initiate a kiss, and then gloat over how I'd saved his life again. With a small smile at that thought, I placed a hand on his chest and carefully leant over him to place my lips on his.

Nothing happened. His eyelids didn't even flutter. I tried again, but this time I allowed my lips to linger for a few extra seconds…still nothing. "Oh god…Draco…" he wasn't waking up; yet again this stupid place had abandoned the original storyline when it felt like it. With a shaking hand I placed two fingers against his jugular; there was a faint pulse. I fell back, sitting heavily on the floor as I sighed with relief; he wasn't dead…but still unconscious.

I rubbed my face with my hands, thinking of the fairy-tale I'd been told as a child, and almost laughed when I remembered the glass coffin; I couldn't imagine Draco being too happy about that part. But perhaps I needed to complete all the steps, and then the kiss that I would graciously bestow upon him would actually work; I hoped.

Getting to my feet, I cast once more glance at the unconscious man on the floor and then left the room in search of Dobby, I was sure he'd be able to help. Just outside of the door though, I found Kreacher instead, lurking in the shadows. "Kreacher, do you know where Draco got the apples?"

"Kreacher wouldn't know Miss." He said in a falsely incredulous voice. He turned away from me then, heading back towards the stairs. "Not that he'd tell the false Mistress anyway."

"False Mistress?" I mumbled. "Who do you serve Kreacher?" I was trying to remain calm, but being reminded how Kreacher used to act when we had first met was disturbing.

"Kreacher will not betray his Queen."

Queen? My characters supposed step-mother perhaps? "Did your Queen give you the poisoned apples?"

"I couldn't say Miss." With another scathing look, full of hatred the Elf hurried away down the stairs. I certainly wasn't too keen on helping that particular Elf.

I followed Kreacher down the stairs. Dobby was nowhere to be found inside the house, but I did eventually find him outside, once again tending to the vegetable patch. "I hope Miss is feeling better now."

It took me a moment to realise that he was referring to the laces incident. "Oh yes, thank you Dobby." I said a little distractedly. "I think we may have another problem though, it's to do with Draco." His large eyes widened a little, and gradually got larger as I recounted the story of Draco's poisoning. "I think that Kreacher may have accepted the apples from 'his Queen'."

Dobby nodded sadly, wringing his hands together. "Kreacher and the Queen are both…" He leant closer; indicating for me to bend to his height as he also twirled a finger beside his temple. "Well, they're both a bit crazy Miss."

I resisted the urge to laugh at Dobby's assured eyes. "Do you know who the Queen is Dobby?"

"Of course I do; before she married your father, she was known as Bella Black, but now she is Mrs White."

Bloody hell, Bellatrix was tormenting me from beyond the grave as well. I sank to the cold ground next to a stunned Dobby who instantly began berating himself for upsetting me. "No, no Dobby, stop, its fine." I laid a gentle hand on his thin shoulder, and he stilled. Bellatrix was dead, and besides, so far there hadn't been any real interaction with her. If I could break the spell quickly enough, then we could probably avoid seeing her altogether. To be honest, I didn't think it would do Draco any good to see her either.

"Uhm, are the other Elves working in the, err, mines?"

"Yes Miss…"

"I think I need you to make me something. A glass coffin; do you think it's possible? I need it straight away…"

"Don't worry Miss; we shall build the most beautiful coffin for the Master." I almost laughed, if Draco heard that his coffin was 'beautiful' he'd surely sulk. His coffin would of course be 'manly'.

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><p>The other Elves returned just before dusk, and set to work almost immediately, carving and grinding as they built a coffin for Draco. They worked late into the night, leaving me very much alone. I attempted to sleep, but it was almost impossible with a comatose Draco lying next to me. He really looked like he was dead, and I had to reassure myself every hour or so by checking for his pulse. It never faltered; faint, but steady.<p>

By sunrise, after hours of tossing and turning which only made me irritable, I couldn't possibly feign sleep any longer. With a gentle kiss to Draco's forehead, I made my way back downstairs. In the lounge I found Kreacher again; he was tied to a chair with rope and was scowling at his feet. "How dare they; Kreacher was helping the Queen, and they tied him to a chair…traitors." He was muttering, and was blatantly very angry. As I moved across the room I saw him watching me from the corner of his eye. It was really creepy and I was happy to be away from him once I made it through the front door.

Dobby and the other Elves were working the hours away in a large out-building that was nestled amongst the trees at the back of the house. I could hear chiselling as I approached, so could tell that they were still hard at work. What I saw when I peered through the door though was astounding, but as I moved to get a closer look I was shooed away back to the house.

The sun was fully up by the time the exhausted and work weary Elves emerged. I had seated myself amongst the fallen leaves to watch the colour and atmosphere of the woods change around me as the sun rose, first tinting everything with yellow and orange, then a dusky pink and finally releasing a bright glow which illuminated all the colours around me. It was truly beautiful here; it was just a shame that every time we were brought somewhere lovely, it was marred somewhat by sadistic fairy-tale characters trying to murder us.

Dobby approached me first, looking levelly at me with a small smile. "We has finished it for the Master." Behind Dobby I saw the others. They each held a wooden support beam; atop which was a pedestal that held the coffin.

They placed it down beneath an archway of branches, the few remaining leaves unfurled around the coffin, almost as if caressing it. The Elves had been true to their word; it was beautiful. It wasn't just made of glass, but of diamond from the mines too. Light reflected off of the many facets, casting a rainbow out amongst the plethora of other colours.

I moved closer, entranced by the absolute beauty of such a morbid object. The inside had been swathed in a slate grey silk, a single pillow placed at the head. One side was entirely open; but there was a curved lid that lay over the top. Carefully, I flicked a finger nail against it, and a sharp sound resonated through the trees around us.

Eventually I turned to face the Elves, words of absolute wonderment ready to fall from my tongue, but they were gone. I was totally bewildered for a few seconds as I cast a look around me; but then I saw them. They were just leaving the main house, carrying Draco.

As much as I hate to admit it, a few small tears trickled down my cheeks; it was almost impossible not to cry at what was effectively a funeral procession. In my mind I knew that he was perfectly fine and was suffering the effects of yet another stupid fairy-tale curse…but it was still sad to watch.

The Elves gently slid Draco's body into the coffin, his pale blond hair standing out vividly against the dark silk. Bowing in turn, they then retreated, leaving me standing very much alone with Draco as they formed a wide semi-circle around us.

"Okay, here goes." I whispered as I released a long breath. I moved myself under the curved lid, leaning over his prostrate form…and closed the distance between us. For the third time since he last been awake, I covered his lips with mine gently, before pulling back to observe. Again nothing happened, so I tried once more, this time cupping his cheek as I applied a little more pressure.

Still nothing. "Why aren't you waking up…this is supposed to work." I said, wanting to shake him by the shoulders to wake him. "This better not be your idea of a joke Malfoy." I pushed my lips roughly against his, pressing down until it hurt. "Come on…damn it…wake up." My voice wavered now; fear and adrenalin making my body shake as I willed the git in front of me to wake up. "Please Draco…" I mumbled against his cold lips.

Someone cleared their throat behind me. I turned my head, still half leaning against Draco to see Dobby tugging at my long skirt. His big eyes were shining knowingly. "Perhaps the Miss should try…expressing her feelings for the young Master?"

"Feelings?" I whispered. "But I'm not entirely sure what my feeling for him _are_ Dobby."

He gave my leg a friendly pat. "Start with that."

How was Dobby always so wise? Shaking my head to clear my jumbled thoughts, I turned to look back at Draco…and laughed nervously. "If you could hear my thoughts right now, you'd be thinking I'd gone mental. I…I'm not sure I can go back to calling you Malfoy now…I've progressed to your first name. Unless I'm annoyed with you, which, let's face it is likely to be a regular occurrence."

I felt ridiculous, talking to an unconscious person who probably couldn't even hear me, not to mention that I was half sprawled over him as I leant to reach his ear. "I should probably do as Dobby said then; he thinks that if I 'express' my feelings…then you'll wake up, and if I'm doing this, then you sure as hell better wake up; okay?" Of course there was no response, so taking another deep breath I prepared to begin.

"Right…so I like you alright…well no, that's not strictly true is it? I _really_ like you, and care for you on a whole different level to anyone else I know…even if you do endlessly try to wind me up. Truthfully Draco? I can see myself…falling in love with you. I mean, I'm not there yet, but soon…perhaps." Fantastic, I thought, I was rambling. How did he have the ability to turn an intelligent, coherent person to mush? I was grateful yet again that he wasn't awake to hear my confession.

"I hope this works now…" Hovering above him again, I took a second to calm down, and then I kissed him. At first he remained still, but after a few seconds I felt his lips twitch beneath mine. I smiled, mentally thanking Dobby again for his brilliant idea. Then Draco's arms were around me. I pulled back just enough to see his mercurial eyes once again smiling at me. He winked and using his hand, pulled my lips back to his.

This time as our lips touched, there was an explosion of light, and then everything began to spin. It was horribly reminiscent of the events which led to us being brought here in the first place.

I'm not sure how long it had been, but what felt like a mere few seconds later, I landed heavily on my hands and knees. Reluctantly I opened my eyes into the dim lighting, hoping that the spinning in my head would cease. Was I back at Hogwarts finally? I really hoped I was. What I saw when I finally looked around did not fill me with happiness though; I had no clue where I was again…and this time I was utterly alone.

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><p><strong>It may be the longest, but I'm not sure it was my best chapter, but then again, I guess that's up to you guys to decide?<strong>

**So if you feel like letting me know your thoughts...I won't hold it against you :-)**

**Gemsibob**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you for the reviews etc, I do appreciate them. Sorry for the continued delays :-)**

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><p>Fifteen<p>

Eventually the spinning in my head stopped and I managed to struggle to my feet. I brushed off my robes as I took in my surroundings. I appeared to be in some sort of courtyard. Around me were a lot of washing lines, on which were hung large white sheets and frilly undergarments. The ground was stone and was surrounded by a tall brick wall which led round to a wide archway.

Looking up, I saw the tall chimneys and illuminated windows of a grand house peeking out from behind the wall. The lower portion of the house was obscured by a heavy looking gate. Rattling the handle a few times only proved to me that I was effectively trapped in this courtyard.

It struck me then that I hadn't actually passed through a barrier, and a flicker of hope rushed through me as I fumbled through my robes and pockets. With an acknowledging sigh, I realised that my wand had still not been returned to me; and where was Draco, was he alright? I hadn't even had time to explain what had happened at the Elves house before we were literally ripped apart.

A moment of panic washed over me as it finally sunk in that anything could happen to me now, and I had nothing to protect myself with; how was I ever going to make it back to school and it was beginning to look like I'd seriously be stuck here forever. With a defeated groan, I sat down on an upturned bucket, unconsciously rubbing my arms for warmth.

I paused in my wallowing, I could hear something. It was like a faint squealing noise; but it was getting louder, and the pitch was rising to a point where it began to make my ears hurt. Just as I was covering my ears with my hands, a bright white light flashed into existence.

It pulsed slightly in front of me. "Wotcha Hermione." Came a disembodied voice.

I shielded my eyes, squinting into the light, I knew that voice. A surge of happiness washed over me, sending goosebumps racing across my flesh. "Tonks; is that you?"

"Oh sorry, I'm probably a bit bright, yeah?" The light receded, to reveal a foot tall Tonks hovering in mid-air, a pair of delicate looking wings fluttering frantically behind her. Her hair was the vibrant purple I remembered from before she died, and she wore a lovely silver gown…finished off with a pair of chunky, knee high biker boots. "There, is that better?"

A wide grin spread across my cheeks. "Oh my god, Tonks; I've missed you." She had flown closer during our greeting, and I would have loved to have thrown my arms around her; instead she simply patted me on the head. "Uhm, do you know what's going on?"

"One clue Hermione…" She pointed to her wings. "I'm your fairy…"

"God mother?" I groaned when she nodded happily at me. "Does that mean that I'm Cinderella then, and have to go to a ball?" I did _not_ want to go to a ball.

"Oh come on, you want to make an impression on my dear, estranged cousin…" She cleared her throat. "Sorry; you're Prince Charming, don't you?"

"He's not my Prince." I mumbled, blushing.

Tonks nudged the side of my face. "Maybe not yet, but he most assuredly will be after tonight. So, let's see what we can do."

I couldn't help but hum 'bibbidy, bobbidy boo' to myself as Tonks worked her magic. The whole process was considerably less painful and torturous than any time I'd let Ginny get her hands on me. I mean, Ginny was good at the all the girly things like applying makeup and what not, but she had a tendency to get a touch aggressive if you complained.

My hair, which had thankfully returned to my usual mass of curls, had been painlessly pulled up into an elegant style. My eyes weren't poked by mascara brushes, but instead were dusted gently with neutral tones. The 'Dress' itself was vaguely similar to the one I wore to the Yule Ball. In fact, it was the same periwinkle colour, and fell to my feet in waves and tiers. The skirt was fuller though, puffed out by layers of tulle and taffeta.

I admitted to myself that I did look rather good when Tonks produced a mirror for me. "One more thing Hermione, then you're all set." With another flourish of her wand, and a puff of dramatic smoke that I had a feeling Tonks produced purely because she could; she held out the part of the outfit I feared the most; the shoes.

As with the actual fairy-tale, they were obviously made of glass, with at least a three inch heel. For someone not used to wearing heels, they seemed huge. "You do realise that I'll probably break my neck in those, don't you?"

"You'll be fine, the sheer volume of skirt will make you walk slowly anyway." Tonks smiled at her own logic.

"But glass…really? It's hardly the most practical material for a pair of shoes…"

"Shatter resistant. Stop making excuses; I'm fairly sure I'll always be able to come up with a rebuttal. Stop worrying so much, you'll be fine." I rolled my eyes, but shut my mouth. "On another note; your carriage awaits M'lady."

The gate which had earlier confined me to this courtyard swung open, revealing a silver carriage pulled by four shirehorses. It was spectacular by all accounts. A set of shimmering steps appeared to help me up into the carriage.

After I had sat down on the velvet cushions, Tonks closed the door behind me, and leaned her head against the side rail. "Good luck tonight, yeah."

I smiled back, finding it difficult to talk past the lump forming in my throat. It had been so wonderful to see even a miniature version of Tonks; we all missed her so much. "Thanks Tonks." I murmured eventually, grasping her tiny, outstretched hand.

"No problem Hermione; now go and get my cousin." She flicked her wand at the two shirehorses, and we instantly lurched forward. I hurriedly looked out the window, just in time to see Tonks disappear in another burst of light, and when I looked forward again, it was to find my carriage rattling along a narrow lane, on approach to a humongous castle.

The castle was up lit, and stood out imposingly against the night sky. My carriage pulled up to the entrance of its own accord, and a grey haired attendant helped me out.

There were a lot of people milling about, making their way slowly in their finery, to the ball. Hiking up the heavy skirts of my dress, I made my way somewhat wobbly up a sweeping set of stone steps, and directly into an open ballroom.

The room was enormous, giving the giant's house a run for its money. Everything was made of marble, with gilded adornments. An entire orchestra sat in one corner, playing some sort of waltz, judging from the various dancing couples.

It was a warm night, and as I stood just inside the doors, admiring my luxurious surroundings, a shiver raced down my spine when I felt someone come up behind me. "Well, well, well, don't you scrub up nicely Granger." Draco whispered into my exposed ear.

He quickly placed a finger over my lips, stopping my sarcastic retort and moved around to face me. I watched in awe as he wordlessly took my hand, bowed and placed a lingering kiss on the back of it, looking up at me through his eyelashes. A gentle smiled tugged at the corners of my mouth, as he gave me a cheeky wink before pulling me into the throng of dancing people.

He led me around the floor with poise and grace, and I found myself rather impressed with his dancing abilities. "You've danced before haven't you?" I asked, as he spun me away gently.

Pulling me back to the confines of his arms, he smirked. "Pureblood remember; I've been dragged to balls and other such engagements since I could walk. They're incredibly dull."

I laughed. "Yes, well you don't normally have to dance with someone who's terrified of her shoes. I'm sure this'll prove entertaining soon enough." Draco laughed, pulling my skirt up a few inches so that he could take a glance at the offending items.

"What, they look nice; perhaps not the most appropriate shoes for you though. Did you pick them out yourself?" He asked. "Because I got free reign over this ensemble." He pulled back, allowing me to admire his good taste. I don't know how I hadn't noticed before, but he was wearing a stark white jacket, with gold epaulettes, a deep burgundy pair of trousers with gold edging and white dress shoes. "I was dumped in a walk in wardrobe the size of my house, I never wanted to leave."

Typical, he gets sent somewhere he likes, and I get dumped on my arse in a stone courtyard. "Lucky you. No, I uhm, had a little help from someone."

"Someone?"

"Oh yeah, it was Tonks." I mumbled.

"As in Nymphadora Tonks; my cousin." He quirked an eyebrow when I nodded my head. "Isn't she dead?"

He could have been a bit more considerate of my feelings. So he hadn't liked his cousin, but she was a very good friend of mine. "Yes, she may have passed away, but in case you hadn't noticed, we're still in this blasted fairy-tale world, in which if you remember, my grandmother has already made an appearance despite the handicap of being dead."

A shocked sneer passed quickly over his face at my angry tone, but it was soon replaced with a small, genuine smile. He kissed my hand again, obviously not wanting to engage in an argument. "So where are we this time?"

I shifted my eyes back to his. "We're in Cinderella."

"Never heard of it."

"You do surprise me." I said sarcastically with a small laugh.

He quirked a brow, as the music changed and he pulled me closer to his body. One hand slipped to the small of my back, as the other held my right hand tightly against his chest. We danced slowly to the new music, probably not in the correct style judging from the confused looks we were receiving from the other guests, but the atmosphere had changed with the music. It seemed more intense as his gaze held mine, both of us unable to look away.

I'm not sure how long we stayed like that, just looking at one another, hardly daring to breathe until he leaned closer, resting his warm cheek against mine. "Did you mean it?" He whispered into my ear.

"Did I mean what?" My voice was beginning to shake with his close proximity.

"What you said when I was unconscious."

I gasped, horror and embarrassment spreading through my body. "Oh god; you heard all of that?" My head fell forward, landing on Draco's shoulder. There was no chance I could look at him right now.

He let out a low chuckle that vibrated through his shoulder. "Yes Hermione, I did. But did you mean it?"

I carefully lifted my head back from off his shoulder, placing my lips next to his ear. "Every word." His muscles clenched at my barely there whisper as my lips brushed his ear.

His arms tightened their hold on me until there wasn't a single millimetre left between us. "Good."

Good? That was all he had to say. I pulled my head back up, frowning at him. "Is that all the response I'm going to get? You have to admit, that me saying that is pretty monumental."

He laughed again; the git. "Ssh, if you could hold your tongue for more than a second, and let it all sink in, then you may have received a more appropriate response." He chuckled at the somewhat sheepish look on my face. "Besides, I pretty much told you the same thing days ago, and I didn't get a better response." He gently moved a hand to my neck, his thumb caressing the already heated skin; and then he kissed me.

It was another one of his sensual kisses, and there was so much feeling behind it that I'm surprised I could remain upright. The hand on the small of my back tensed and I felt the heat of his palm burning through my dress as his fingers dug into my flesh.

Then his lips moved again, as he placed a kiss on my cheek, before moving to my ear. His hot breath tickled the fine hairs. "You've been fucking impossible to get out of my head, since the first time I saw you in those ridiculous pyjamas; the ones with the sheep on."

"They aren't ridiculous." I whispered.

"They are, but I don't care, you just looked so adorable curled up on the sofa in them." I couldn't help but laugh. "What's so funny?" He asked, pulling back so he could raise a curious eyebrow.

"It just seems completely surreal that a Malfoy is saying all of this to a Mudblood."

"Don't…" he said warningly. "I can make it more surreal if you want? Just so you know Hermione, I think I may be closer to using that rather specific 'L' word than you realise."

I gasped and pulled back, almost wrenching myself out of his arms, but he held on tightly. The smile that adorned his face was so gentle and full of adoration that I simply had to cup his cheek in my hand. "I'm a lot closer than you think too, Draco."

"Mmm, I'm glad to hear it." He murmured against my still parted lips, sending the room spinning.

But wait, the room wasn't spinning from the sheer intensity of Draco's kiss, oh no, it was that all too familiar type of spinning, the kind that I really wished I would stop experiencing. I burrowed my face into Draco's neck when the lights began flashing, and the last thing I felt was Draco burying his face into my hair.

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><p><strong>So, I think we're nearing the end of this story now, maybe one...or two more chapters. Are you still enjoying it, I hope you are.<strong>

**Anyway, I have some time off soon, so hopefully I'll be able to update considerably quicker than the last few times.**

**Thanks for sticking with it though.**

**Gemsibob**


	16. Chapter 16

**Well, I didn't fully realise until I was typing this out, that this here, is the last chapter of Once Upon a Time. It came as a little bit of a shock to be honest. Let's hope that you enjoy it then. :-)**

**AN - All of the jealousy inducing characters and anything else you recognise belong to JK Rowling (and the various authors of the fairy-tales), and not me. Which is completely not fair, haha, or not.**

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><p>Sixteen<p>

Groggily I opened my eyes; around me I saw two sofas and an oak coffee table. We were finally back, and with a sigh of relief I looked down and saw Draco beneath me. He looked so peaceful, but I was too excited to let him continue sleeping. "Draco? Draco, wake up." I whispered, tapping my fingers against his jawline.

His nose scrunched with annoyance for a moment before his eyes slowly opened. Blinking at my rather close proximity for a second, I watched a slow grin spread across his face as he took in our surroundings. "We're back."

"Mm hmm." I said quietly from my position on his chest. His eyes focused back on mine, and then my lips were against his. This time I didn't hold anything back as I nibbled at his lips; distracting him whilst my fingers undid the cloak from around his neck.

A low groan rumbled from his throat when I found myself being rolled until I was beneath his solid body. My hands stilled for a moment, but then they began their frantic fumbling again as I now began work on his shirt buttons. His skin was hot as fire when my fingers tentatively found his stomach.

His abdomen muscles clenched. "Fuck Hermione; damn you and your ability to completely destroy me." And then his hands found their way to my stomach as well. My back arched as his fingers trailed their way across my skin, stopping just shy of my breasts. I was in a whole new realm of delight.

"Hmm hmm." A throat was cleared from somewhere behind us and I looked up straight into the eyes of our headmaster. They were twinkling, no doubt at our embarrassment as my cheeks flushed with mortification.

"Pro…Professor Dumbledore." I gasped, springing away from Draco so fast that our heads clashed. I glanced to the side as I stood to find Draco hastily refastening his shirt.

"Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy. Welcome back." He strode away from the bookcase he'd been perusing, his amethyst robes sweeping majestically after him until he was seated on one of the common rooms sofas. I was too stunned to talk. We had just been caught snogging…and groping each other with a rather high intensity; I failed to stifle my groan of despair. I could still feel his eyes on us. "It doesn't seem right to invite you to take a seat in your own common room; but nevertheless I fear I may have to."

We obliged slightly numbly, taking a seat on the sofa across from his. He smiled again, his eyes and lips full of an as yet restrained humour. "I imagine you must have questions; yes?"

"Uhm…whe…" I cleared my throat. "Where exactly did we go?"

"Ah yes, a little creation of mine. Did you enjoy it?" He looked expectant.

"Enjoy it?" Draco asked incredulously. "That bloody place damn neared killed us; on multiple occasions."

Dumbledore smiled as he looked carefully at a clearly angry Draco. "Well, there's nothing like being pursued as a food source to bring people closer together."

Angry spluttering was heard beside me, this was obviously not amusing to my companion. "But why did it pick us?" I asked carefully, trying to stop Draco's imminent outburst.

"Can you not think of a reason Miss Granger?" The headmaster inclined his head, urging me to think it through.

Of course I could think of a reason; taking into account the two people he was currently watching with a knowing glint in his eyes; two people, who until quite recently would spend hours at each other's throats. "You wanted us to learn to work together."

"To a point you are correct, yes. But the experience is only as effective as the participants allow it to be. In your case, I would say it was a success."

"So this has happened before?" Draco interrupted. "If so, then why have we never heard of anything happening before?" His tone implied he would brook no arguments from our Professor.

"Oh my, it happens every year Mr Malfoy. We don't select just any two students to become heads; not by grades, but by who _most_ need to learn to put differences aside. Other students who notice an absence are told simply that you are having a week of orientation; to teach you the ropes so to speak of your extra responsibilities."

"So we've actually been gone for an entire week?" I asked, trying to keep the horror from my voice.

"Yes Miss Granger, only I and the Heads of Houses knew of your true location. You have of course been excused from all homework."

"Bu…but how will I catch up now, a week is a long time Professor." I asked; a new sort of panic creeping into my body.

"Relax Miss Granger, I have no doubt that two students of such intellect and ability, such as yourselves can catch up easily enough. You did survive a wolf attack after all."

"You saw that? Then why the hell didn't you help; she could have been killed?" Draco growled through clenched teeth.

"There was no need; you did a very admirable job of the rescue Mr Malfoy."

"That's as maybe, but it would hardly have promoted 'teamwork' if your most intelligent student had bloody well died, would it?" Draco was on his feet now, glaring furiously at Professor Dumbledore. Without much thought, I reached out and took hold of Draco's hand.

"But I didn't die; I'm still here; thanks to you." I whispered, tugging on the blonds hand until he begrudgingly sat back down. He didn't release my hand though and I had the urge to smile even as I asked my next question. "I couldn't have _actually_ died in there could I?"

I know that I'd thought about it on more than one occasion; but to truly believe that our Professors could put students through something so…potentially catastrophic…it didn't even bear thinking about.

I felt a light pressure against my fingers when Draco squeezed my hand lightly. "No Miss Granger; if a student's heart were about to fail, I'd have been alerted immediately."

"Well that's fucking fantastic, we'd have only needed to get as close to death as humanly possible before you swooped in and saved the day." Draco shouted beside me. He'd moved to the edge of his seat and was now sneering at Dumbledore. I was actually inclined to agree with him a little bit.

Professor Dumbledore's smile never faltered as he took in one seething student and another who was feeling the effects of a major adrenalin comedown. "On that note Mr Malfoy, I believe it is time for me to take my leave. I'm sure your friends will be eager to see you in the morning." With a wink, he swiftly retreated to the door. "Sleep well children." And then he was gone.

Draco instantly slouched back against the sofa. "That guy is _seriously_ deranged Granger; I've never understood why you admire him so much."

"At this precise moment, I'm not entirely sure why either. We could have died; but then again we wouldn't have found this." I looked back down at our still entwined hands as I moved to lean against the cushions of the sofa.

"That's true." He mumbled, caressing my hand with his thumb. We both seemed so exhausted, and were more than happy to sit in a contented silence.

Draco's head was turned towards me, and I could feel his thoughtful eyes watching me. "What are you looking at?"

"Just you Hermione…"

I laughed. "Yeah, I kind of gathered as much; but _why_ are you looking at me?"

"Am I not allowed to look at my girlfriend?"

"Gir…girlfriend?" I spluttered, turning towards him until I could look at his eyes properly. Was he seriously asking me this?

"Hey…I don't let just anyone experience this." He swept his free hand over his body, highlighting his still partially undone shirt.

I scoffed. "Yeah right."

He laughed again. "Fine…you may have a point, but I'm trying to be courteous here. So is that a yes to my question?"

"What question?" That damn smile was doing its job again, working my heart rate up until I was practically having palpitations.

"The 'am I not allowed to look at my beautiful girlfriend?' question, obviously." His fingers were walking their way up my forearm.

I pretended to think it over, chewing on my bottom lip. "I guess that would be alright; as long as I get to look at my boyfriend."

I let him drop my arm and instead found his arm around my shoulders. "Wonderful. So whose bed are we sleeping in tonight? Mine or yours?"

I smacked his arm, wriggling away from the heat of his body. "We will both be in our own beds."

Raising a single eyebrow, his quicksilver eyes looked challengingly at me. "Fine, but we'll see how long you can last with that arrangement." With a smirk he stood up and stretched. "I'll see you in the morning then Granger." And leaving me with one sly wink, he disappeared behind his dormitory door.

"You're a git." I shouted after him. Well wasn't he presumptuous.

My exhausted body almost purred with relief when I finally slid down under the hot water. I hadn't had a proper wash in days, and believe me, scourigify is just not the same.

If I felt relaxed after my forty minute soak in the bath, it was nothing compared the feeling I got as I climbed into my bed. The crisp sheets smelt of their familiar fabric softener, and were soothingly cool against my skin as I sunk deeper into them. Sleep took me incredibly quickly after my head hit the pillow.

"Budge up Granger." I was torn from sleep as Draco ripped the duvet away and shoved me in the hip with his arm.

"Wha…what are you doing?" I mumbled sleepily, barely opening my eyes to look at the topless Draco in front of me.

"I got fed up of waiting for you, so I went for the next best option…your bed." He whispered as he slid under the blanket beside me.

"Mmm." I sighed, automatically turning over so that I could snuggle against his warm body, my head finding his chest to make an acceptable pillow.

"I love you Hermione."

"Hmm, I lurve oo tcho." I mumbled against his skin, falling back to sleep as his fingers raked through my hair.

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><p><strong>I hope this was a fitting ending. I haven't tied up all of the loose ends, simply because it gives you guys the option to figure out what happened next...and who knows, there's always the possibility of an epilogue or something.<strong>

**I hope that you feel the urge to review this final chapter, and let me know your thoughts. All i can say now, is that I hoped you enjoyed it, and I'm incredibly grateful for all of your wonderful reviews. They were awesome.**

**Until next time, cheerio.**

**Gemsibob**


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